Friday, October 04, 2019

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

(hb; 2018: children’s picture book)

From the inside flap

“It’s Penelope’s first day at school, and she can’t wait to meet her classmates.

“But making friends is hard to do when they’re so delicious!

“Readers will gobble up this hilarious new story from award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.”


Review

This dark-humored children’s book hits the sweet spot between amusing-to-adults and amusing-to-appropriate-for-children. By making Penelope a sweet-natured T-Rex child─who quickly learns to not consume her classmates, a lesson without any lasting harm─and the other characters’ mild response to her actions, Eat is a perfect-for-its-genre read: it sports a simple (but not simple-minded) story arc, easy-to-spot and multilayered moral lessons, and laugh-out-loud funny, surprising moments. I especially love Walter the goldfish and the end-line of this inspired book. Eat is a charming, funny and memorable three-minute read, one worth owning (if you are into this genre and darkly funny mindset).

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