We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish: A Penelope Rex Book

PreS-Gr 2–Everyone’s favorite tyrannosaurs, Penelope Rex, is back for her third outing. Having learned not to eat her classmates and how to rock the talent show, this latest adventure sees Penelope taking her turn to host the class pet, Walter the goldfish, at home. Even though she is the only dinosaur in school, Penelope has big feelings just like her classmates. There are a number of things that make Penelope feel scared, with Walter chief among them. When it is finally Penelope’s turn to take the goldfish home, all she can see are his menacing fins, unblinky eyes, and bitey teeth. However, when Walter goes missing, Penelope summons all her courage and, in the process, discovers that maybe Walter isn’t so bad after all. As in previous titles, Higgins employs comical dialogue, impeccable pacing, a surprise ending, and a superb message of support to young readers that validates their feelings and offers encouragement to confront what frightens them. Pair with Is This Your Class Pet? by Troy Cummings for double the class pet fun.