The Principal’s New Clothes by Stephanie Calmenson
Best for grades: PreK – 3
ISBN-13: 978-0590447782
In this version of the Hans Christian Andersen tale The Emperor’s New Clothes, the vain principal of P.S. 88 is persuaded by two tailors that they will make him an amazing, one-of-a-kind suit that will be visible only to intelligent people who are good at their jobs.
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
Best for grades: K – 2
ISBN-13: 978-0698114128
Christmas Eve started out so perfectly for Maria. Snow had fallen and the streets glittered. Maria’s favorite cousins were coming over and she got to help make the tamales for Christmas dinner. It was almost too good to be true when her mother left the kitchen for a moment and Maria got to try on her beautiful diamond ring . . . This is the story of a treasure thought to be lost in a batch of tamales; of a desperate and funny attempt by Maria and her cousins to eat their way out of trouble; and the warm way a family pulls together to make it a perfect Christmas after all.
The Berenstain Bears and the Truth by Stan Berenstain
Best for grades: K – 2
ISBN-13: 978-0394856407
Mama knows no cubs are perfect all the time, but she thinks Brother and Sister can usually be trusted to tell the truth, until one lazy day when her favorite lamp is broken. The broken lamp turns into the biggest whopper Brother and Sister have ever told. Will they learn their lesson about telling the truth?
Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin
Best for grades: K – 2
ISBN-13: 978-0545075442
Ruthie loves little things — the smaller, the better. When she finds a teeny tiny toy on the school playground, she can hardly believe her luck. There’s just one problem: It belongs to somebody else! Ruthie insists the toy is hers, but deep down, she knows better. How could one little toy turn into such a great big problem?
A Big Fat Enormous Lie by Marjorie Sharmat
Best for grades: K – 2
ISBN-13: 978-0140547375
An empty cookie jar and a small boy with a problem lead to one big fat enormous lie. In this easy reader by a popular illustrator, the boy’s little lie comes alive in the form of a little monster that grows and grows until the boy finds the only way to make it go away — by telling the truth.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Best for grades: K – 3
ISBN-13: 978-0140544510
The big bad wolf has spent ten years in pig prison for the destruction of the three little pigs, and he has quite a story to tell that just might prove his innocence! Alexander T. Wolf writes his own account of this infamous meeting, and insists that he was railroaded in the classic fairytale. After all, it was only an innocent sneeze (he had a bad cold), and all he wanted was to borrow a cup of sugar from one of the pigs. Why is he now the bad guy?
Edward Fudwupper Fibbed Big by Berkeley Breathed
Best for grades: 1 – 4
ISBN-13: 978-0316144254
Fannie Fudwupper’s big brother, Edwurd, spends his time cooking up big fibs full of phooey and letting them rip. But one day, Edwurd tells such a whopping lie that the army, the air force, and the dogcatcher are called to reverse the damage.
Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna
Best for grades: 3 – 5
ISBN-13: 978-0439622790
Mr. Peabody is a beloved elementary school teacher and baseball coach in 1949 Happville, USA, who one day finds himself ostracized when rumors spread through the small town. Mr. Peabody silences the gossip with an unforgettable and poignant lesson about how we must choose our words carefully to avoid causing harm to others.
That Was Then, This Is Now by S. E. Hinton
Best for grades: 9 – 12
ISBN-13: 978-0670697984
When Bryon finds himself falling in love with Cathy, his friendship with Mark begins to change. The two boys had been like brothers. Will their friendship survive the changes that are happening in Bryon’s life?
Learn more about character education.