• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2023 February #1
  Grade-school dino Penelope Rex (introduced in We Don't Eat Our Classmates, 2018) learns to face her fears—especially her fear of staring, "bitey" class goldfish Walter—in this latest outing. Penelope really, really doesn't want to take Walter home for the weekend, and indeed, when her turn rolls around at last, it gets off to a terrifying start (how did he manage to move his bowl right next to her bed in the night?). Fortunately, it only takes his temporary disappearance for her to realize that she misses him, and after he turns up in Daddy Rex's keeping, she finds him to be a fine, if silent and rather unresponsive, playmate. Her feeling of relief even prompts her to step on sidewalk cracks without fretting about her mother's spine—though coping with the alarming new pet with which her proud parents present her in Higgins' hilarious closing twist is a horse (or, to be more exact, a big cat) of a different color. Grades 1-3. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

Ryan T. Higgins (ryanthiggins.com) is the author and illustrator of the New York Times best-selling Mother Bruce, which received the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor. In addition to the Mother Bruce series, Ryan is also the author and illustrator of Norman Didn’t Do It!, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, We Will Rock Our Classmates, BE QUIET!, and What About Worms!?, an Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! book. He lives in Maine with his three children, three dogs, three cats, one gecko, one tortoise, and one wife.

Ryan T. Higgins (ryanthiggins.com) is the author and illustrator of the New York Times best-selling Mother Bruce, which received the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor. In addition to the Mother Bruce series, Ryan is also the author and illustrator of Norman Didn’t Do It!, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, We Will Rock Our Classmates, BE QUIET!, and What About Worms!?, an Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! book. He lives in Maine with his three children, three dogs, three cats, one gecko, one tortoise, and one wife.

Ryan T. Higgins (ryanthiggins.com) is the author and illustrator of the New York Times best-selling Mother Bruce, which received the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor. In addition to the Mother Bruce series, Ryan is also the author and illustrator of Norman Didn’t Do It!, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, We Will Rock Our Classmates, BE QUIET!, and What About Worms!?, an Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! book. He lives in Maine with his wife, three children, and a menagerie of pets