Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction is kind of a newcomer to the long list of literary genres. Primarily aimed at children and adolescents (the corresponding genre in adult literature is usually just called "literary fiction"), realistic fiction is recognizable by its relatable characters and situations. What sets it apart from historical fiction is that the stories do not center around an actual historical event or person, though they may be set in a very real time period.

Characters deal with the things everyone else deals with—death, friendship, loneliness, embarrassment, first love—and they don't get transported to a make-believe island as a solution to their problems. They have to work it out, which is one of the main appeals of this genre; kids like to read about other kids (real or imaginary) going through the typical young person's trials and how they deal with it.

Not that all realistic fiction is sad and gloomy. It's just what it sounds like—stories about real-life from a fresh perspective. Also, we aren't suggesting there are no realistic elements to a fantasy like The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: there are, which is precisely what makes reading that book so rewarding. It's just that real kids don't fight literal dragons, they fight bullies, or their own insecurities, or ferocious acne.

A lot of the best and most-loved stories fall squarely within the limits of realistic fiction. Huckleberry Finn wasn't a real pirate, but he really rafted the Mississippi; Anne Shirley wasn't a Medieval princess, but she really became Matthew and Marilla's daughter; Anna and Caleb Witting aren't big on imagination, but they are big on really accepting Sarah into their family (at least, eventually).

The full range of human experience is explored in these stories, its darkness, its light, its sorrow, its joy. This is the purpose of literature, after all: to show us true life, and in showing us, to better prepare us for it. These books are some of the best at doing just that.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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88 Items found Print
Active Filters: Preschool (Ages 4-5), In-Stock Books & Materials
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Alfie and the Big Boys
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.99
Alfie Gives a Hand
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.99
Alfie Wins a Prize
by Shirley Hughes
Reissue from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.99
Angel in the Waters
by Regina Doman; illustrated by Ben Hatke
from Sophia Institute Press
Realistic Fiction for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Pregnancy & Infant Care (Location: PRE-INF)
$9.95
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles, Peter Parnall
Reprint from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles; illustrated by Peter Parnall
Reprint from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles; illustrated by Peter Parnall
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Apple Picking Time
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Before I Was Born
by Harriet Ziefert, Illustrated by Rufus Coes
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Benjy and the Barking Bird
by Margaret Bloy Graham
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Big Frank's Fire Truck
by Leslie McGuire
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Carrot Seed
by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson
from HarperCollins
Humorous Book on Botany for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (5 in stock)
Carrot Seed
by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson
from HarperFestival
Humorous Book on Botany for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$9.99
Child's Calendar
by John Updike
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
2000 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Children of the Northlights
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
Reprint from University of Minnesota
for Preschool-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.95
Children of the Northlights
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
1962 Reprint from Viking Press
for Preschool-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas in Noisy Village
by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Ilon Wikland
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Cranberry Christmas
by Wende & Harry Devlin
First Edition from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Cranberry Halloween
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Down, Down the Mountain
by Ellis Credle
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Evening at Alfie's
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.99
Everybody Cooks Rice
from First Avenue Editions
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Farmhouse
by Sophie Blackall
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Feast for 10
by Cathryn Falwell
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Fire Engine Book
by Tibor Gergely
1st edition from Golden Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.99
Flower Garden
by Eve Bunting
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00
Fritz and the Beautiful Horses
by Jan Brett
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Gods Must Be Angry
by Sheila Miller and Ian Murray
from OMF
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Going to Town
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Scholastic Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Henrietta and the Day of the Iguana
by Winifred Rosen, illustrated by Kay Chorao
from Four Winds Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Henry Explores the Jungle
by Mark Taylor, illustrated by Graham Booth
Anniversary from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Henry Explores the Mountains
by Mark Taylor, illustrated by Graham Booth
Anniversary from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Henry the Explorer
by Mark Taylor, illustrated by Graham Booth
45th Anniversary Edition from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Henry the Explorer
by Mark Taylor, illustrated by Graham Booth
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
I Go With My Family to Grandma's
by Riki Levinson, illustrated by Diane Goode
from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
I Know a Lady
by Charlotte Zolotow & James Stevenson
1st edition from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
I'll Always Love You
by Hans Wilhelm
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Ian and the Gigantic Leafy Obstacle
by Sheila Miller
from OMF
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
If It Weren't For You
by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Ben Shecter
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
In Plain Sight
by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Ira Says Goodbye
by Bernard Waber
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Journey Cake, Ho!
by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1954 Caldecott Honor Book
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (3 in stock)
Just Plain Fancy
by Patricia Polacco
1st edition from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Kid Brother
by Jerrold Beim, illustrated by Tracy Sugarman
from Morrow Eagle
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Letting Swift River Go
by Jane Yolen
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Lion in the Box
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$11.99
Long Ago on a Silent Night
by Julie Berry, Illustrated by Annie Won
from Orchard Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$17.99
Lost Lake
by Allen Say
from Houghton Mifflin
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Love You Forever
by Robert Munsch
from Firefly Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.95 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Madeline and the Bad Hat
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Mama's Way
by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Mary Whyte
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Man Who Walked Between The Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Man Who Walked Between The Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade
by Steven Kroll
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1963 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.95
My Great-Aunt Arizona
by Gloria Houston
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
My Little Island
by Frane Lessac
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs
by Tomie DePaola
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Over Land and Sea
by Steven L. Layne, Illustrated by Jan Bower
from Pelican Publishing Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Pink and Say
by Patricia Polacco
from Philomel Books
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (4 in stock)
Puppy Who Wanted a Boy
by Jane Thayer, Illustrated by Lisa McCue
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Secret River
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
First Ed from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
1956 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Sky Boys
by Deborah Hopkinson
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Smallest Boy in the Class
by Jerrold Beim, illustrated by Meg Wohlberg
from William Morrow & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Big Surprise
by Maj Lindman
from Albert Whitman & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread
by Maj Lindman
from Albert Whitman & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Gingerbread
by Maj Lindman
from Albert Whitman & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Red Shoes
by Maj Lindman
from Albert Whitman & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr Learn to Swim
by Maj Lindman
from Albert Whitman & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Snow
by Philip.D. Eastman, Roy Mc Kie
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Spuds
by Karen Hesse, illustrated by Wendy Watson
from Scholastic Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Zachary Zween
by Mabel Watts, Marylin Hafner (Illustrator)
from Parents Magazine Press
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Sugaring Time
by Kathryn Lasky
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-3rd grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Food & Farming Around the World (Location: HISMC-FOOD)
$9.99
Summer
by Alice Low
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Summer My Father Was Ten
by Pat Brisson
from Boyds Mill Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sunflower House
by Eve Bunting
1st Voyager Books Ed from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Tenth Good Thing About Barney
by Judith Viorst
1st edition from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Very Little Girl
by Phyllis Krasilovsky, illustrated by Ninon
from Doubleday & Company
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Wednesday Surprise
by Eve Bunting
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Wee Gillis
by Munro Leaf
from New York Review of Books
for Preschool-1st grade
1939 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.95
Welcome to the Ice House
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Laura Regan
Other Printing from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
What You Know First
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
When I Was Young in the Mountains
by Cynthia Rylant
from Dutton Children's Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Year at Maple Hill Farm
by Alice and Martin Provensen
from Aladdin Paperbacks
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Year at Maple Hill Farm
by Provensen
Children's Choice Book Club Edition from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)