8 Picture Books about Honesty for Kids
The books below are perfect for teaching about honesty in the classroom. They cover a variety of topics, ranging from small fibs, big lies, and everything in between (even what happens when we’re too honest). Honesty can be a tricky concept for young students, because it’s about more than just not telling lies, it’s also about being trustworthy, showing integrity, and not being deceptive. These concepts are all so abstract! The books I’ve rounded up below are highly relatable for young learners (no more “Boy Who Cried Wolf”). Keep scrolling at the end to find the resources I use with my students to teach honesty!
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“Ruthie & the (not so) Teeny Tiny Lie”
by Laura Rankin
This story is about Ruthie, a little fox who loves all things teeny-tiny, and encounters a relatable childhood dilemma. When she finds a miniature toy camera on the playground, she decides she will keep it as her own. But when the owner of the camera confronts her, she lies and says she got it for her birthday. Her lie weighs on her all day and all night, until she finally confesses to her parents what has happened. The next day she admits her lie to her teacher, and her teacher helps Ruthie right her wrong.
“Pig the Fibber”
by Aaron Blabey
Pig is a mischievous pug who lies to get his way. This hilarious tale follows Pig’s antics as he tries to get the treats hidden in the closet. Spoiler: it doesn’t end how he wants it to. This lighthearted story will bring some humor to your classroom discussions of honesty.
“Doug-Dennis and the Flyaway Fib”
by Darren Farrell
This story follows Doug-Dennis and his best friend Ben-Bobby and their trip to the circus. Everything is going well until Doug-Dennis eats all of Ben-Bobby’s popcorn and fibs about it! His fib grows bigger and bigger, carrying him away. Doug-Dennis realizes the only way to come back down is to tell the truth.
“The Empty Pot”
by Demi
This classic story is one of my absolute favorites for teaching about honesty and integrity. This story is about Ping, a young boy who enjoys growing flowers. One day, the emperor announces he will be choosing an heir to his throne and gives each child in the kingdom a seed to plant. He tells the children that whoever can grow the best plant in a year’s time will take the throne. Ping plants his seed and cares for it every day, but it never grows. When all of the children return to the emperor with beautiful flowers, Ping feels he has failed because he has nothing but an empty pot. In this surprise ending, Ping ends up being rewarded for his honesty and integrity.
I love this story so much that I made a whole set of activities for my students. You can hit so many literacy skills with this one book - sequence, characters/setting, character traits, and more! I paired these literacy activities with an integrity craftivity where students write ways they can show honesty and integrity. Click the image below to take a closer look.
“Sam Tells Stories”
by Thierry Robberecht
When Sam arrives at his new school, he wants nothing more than to make friends quickly. He begins to tell stories to the kids in class, in hopes that they will want to be friends with him. Sam is a great storyteller - he tells his little brother bedtime stories all the time! When his stories begin to catch up with him, though, Sam learns the difference between telling bedtime stories and telling lies.
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School”
by Davide Cali and Benjamin Chaud
When his teacher asks him why he’s late to school, this little boy tells her an amazing story. First, giant ants stole his breakfast. Then, there were ninjas, an ape, mole people, and many other detours along the way. Your students will love the detailed illustrations that accompany these wild excuses.
“Kevin”
by Rob Bidduloph
When Sid makes yet another mess, he thinks quickly and makes up a story about how it wasn’t him - it was Kevin! He continues his fib by describing his big, furry, pink-and-vanilla monster friend. Sid gets a surprise when he finds that Kevin isn’t as imaginary as he thinks!
“Being Frank”
by Donna W. Earnhardt
This story follows Frank, a young boy who tells the truth and nothing but the truth to everyone! He tells his friend that her freckles remind him of the Big Dipper and tells his teacher that her breath smells like onions. Frank is just being honest, but now everyone is annoyed with him. His grandpa helps him learn that being honest is important, but so is being kind. Frank finds that there is a fine line between being honest and being rude.
More Honesty Resources for the Classroom
I’ve found that a combination of read alouds, videos, and explicit lessons is the perfect recipe for true, deep understanding of honesty and integrity. Who has time to fit in long, detailed lessons about character ed topics, though? Not me. That’s why I created these quick mini-lessons. Take a look below!
I love to give my students many, many examples of the abstract social emotional skills I’m trying to teach. This can be so time consuming, though! These QR codes help me save time while still allowing students the opportunity to explore important concepts. I cut out the QR codes, tape them around the room, and give students a recording sheet so they can write or draw about what they learn. This way, they can scan the codes when we have a few extra minutes here or there. These work well for early finishers, too!
Communication with parents is so important, but it can be so time consuming. When I cover a specific social skill at school, I like to send home some information about what we’ve learned, as well as how parents can help their child with the skill at home. I like to copy these onto the back of my weekly newsletter and get great feedback from parents about them!
