Are you looking for funny, relatable stories that help children understand behavior and emotions? Books by Ryan T. Higgins are a wonderful choice for young learners.
From We Don’t Eat Our Classmates to the Mother Bruce series, his stories combine humor with meaningful lessons about friendship, empathy, and self-control.
Whether you’re teaching in an ESL classroom, homeschooling, or working in a primary school, these books are engaging, memorable, and perfect for social-emotional learning.
Ryan T. Higgins is a bestselling author and illustrator known for his expressive characters and humorous storytelling.
His books often feature lovable animal characters facing everyday challenges, helping children connect with important life lessons in a fun and accessible way.
Why Use Ryan T. Higgins Stories?
Supports Social-Emotional Learning
His stories explore empathy, friendship, and understanding others.
Highly Engaging and Funny
Humor keeps children interested and involved.
Great for ESL Learners
Clear language and strong visual support aid comprehension.
Relatable Situations
Children see themselves in the characters and their experiences.
Encourages Discussion
Perfect for talking about feelings, choices, and behavior.
Favorite Ryan T. Higgins Stories to Explore
These funny and heartfelt stories combine expressive illustrations, relatable emotions, and lovable characters that children instantly connect with. Ryan T. Higgins’s books are wonderful for encouraging emotional awareness, humor, empathy, classroom discussion, and imaginative play.
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates
A hilarious story about Penelope Rex, a dinosaur who is excited for her first day of school—until she discovers that eating classmates is not acceptable. The story gently teaches empathy and friendship through humor.
Great for: Back-to-school themes, empathy, friendship, classroom expectations, emotions
You can extend this story with: friendship role-play, classroom rule discussions, dinosaur crafts, feelings charts, and “kind choices” writing activities.
Mother Bruce
Bruce the bear wants to make eggs for breakfast, but instead he accidentally becomes the mother to a group of goslings. This charming and funny story explores family, responsibility, and unexpected friendships.
Great for: Family themes, animals, humor, caregiving, character development
You can extend this story with: animal habitat activities, dramatic play, cooking projects, sequencing cards, and “family traditions” discussions.
Norman Didn’t Do It! (Yes, He Did)
A playful story about two porcupine friends where one keeps causing trouble while denying responsibility. Children love the humor while learning about honesty and accountability.
Great for: Social-emotional learning, honesty, friendship, problem-solving, humor
You can extend this story with: puppet shows, classroom discussions about responsibility, comic-strip creation, apology letter writing, and cooperative games.
Be Quiet!
Rupert the mouse wants to tell a peaceful, beautiful story, but his noisy friends keep interrupting with silly adventures. The book playfully introduces storytelling elements and comic timing.
Great for: Storytelling, humor, creativity, expressive reading, imagination
You can extend this story with: make-your-own comics, dramatic read-alouds, sound effect games, storytelling centers, and collaborative class stories.
Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets
Penelope wants the perfect pet, but caring for one turns out to be harder than expected. This playful story encourages responsibility and understanding through humor.
Great for: Responsibility, pets, empathy, problem-solving, routines
You can extend this story with: pet-care role-play, animal research projects, create-a-pet art activities, routine charts, and persuasive writing prompts.
Santa Bruce
Bruce reluctantly becomes Santa Claus when a group of confused geese mistakes him for the real thing. This funny winter story mixes holiday excitement with Bruce’s grumpy personality.
Great for: Winter themes, holidays, humor, kindness, character traits
You can extend this story with: holiday crafts, pretend sleigh-building, winter sensory bins, letter-writing activities, and acts-of-kindness projects.
Prediction Practice
Before and during reading, ask students to:
- Look at the cover and illustrations
- Predict what might happen
- Explain their ideas
This builds comprehension and engagement.
Feelings and Emotions Discussion
Focus on how characters feel:
- How does the character feel?
- Why do they feel that way?
- What would you do?
This supports emotional awareness.
Sequencing Practice
After reading, ask students to:
- Order events (first, next, then, last)
- Retell the story
- Match scenes to events
Great for language development.
Act It Out
Turn the story into role-play:
- Assign characters
- Recreate key scenes
- Use expressions and voices
This builds confidence and understanding.
Problem and Solution
Discuss key elements:
- What is the problem?
- How is it solved?
- Can you think of another solution?
Encourages critical thinking.
Draw and Tell
Students can:
- Draw their favorite scene
- Illustrate a different ending
- Share and explain their ideas
This reinforces comprehension and creativity.
Vocabulary Practice
Choose key words:
- Match words to pictures
- Use in simple sentences
- Focus on emotions and actions
Keep it visual and interactive.
Class Rules Connection
Connect to real life:
- Discuss classroom rules
- Talk about why rules matter
- Create a class agreement
Perfect after We Don’t Eat Our Classmates!
Create a Warm Storytime Environment
- Use expressive reading voices
- Encourage participation and discussion
- Create a safe, supportive space
This helps children connect emotionally with the story.
Books by Ryan T. Higgins are more than just funny—they are powerful tools for helping children understand emotions, build relationships, and make good choices. Through humor and relatable situations, students learn to reflect, communicate, and grow.
Whether you focus on language, behavior, or social skills, these stories adapt beautifully to your classroom.
So choose a story, gather your students, and enjoy a meaningful and engaging reading experience.
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