Fantasy Fiction

The "fantasy=escapism" equation is older than the genre as we know it. People in the old days boycotted the Theater, not just because it was a potential hotbed of wickedness, but because it was something other than Real Life and therefore odious to Sensible People. Some radical Christian sects have prohibited the reading of fiction on grounds that only the Bible has any literary value (....even though Jesus clearly told fictional stories).

In our day, fantasy as a fiction genre is more narrowly defined than simply "that which is not established fact." It encompasses stories of dragons, elves, dark and mysterious woods, magic (or majyck, or whatever the kids are calling it these days), unicorns, gnomes, etc. High fantasy usually takes place in a world or realm other than our own; low fantasy imports fantastic elements into the-world-as-we-know-it.

Certainly, there is plenty of fantasy fiction that can be defended on no grounds. The flood of worthless literary drivel with images of buxom maidens and swarthy sword-wielding savages with pointy ears on their paperback covers began sometime in the 1960s and has only increased as its putrid waters have swelled. But there's plenty of good fantasy, too, some of it among the best fiction ever written.

Because good fantasy, of course, has something to say about the human condition. Sometimes taking characters out of the humdrum of Earth-bound existence allows authors more artistic freedom to create the situations necessary to tell the narrative they have burning a hole in their imagination. Or sometimes they just make the story a bit more fun. Sometimes they make it darker, or scarier, or just plain more weird.

If you're J.R.R. Tolkien, the fantasy element plays a different role (mythmaking) than that of the story it frames (the sinfulness of sin and the cost of redemption). The point is, good fantasy isn't just about the fantastical. In most cases (Ursula K. LeGuin comes to mind), the unfamiliar is used to show how even it is ultimately familiar, and if we can see ourselves in the Edmund Pevensies and Gurney Hallecks we read about, the fantasy has done its job.

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.
Did you find this review helpful?
151 Items found Print
Active Filters: Kindergarten (Ages 5-6), Used Books & Materials
"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth
by Eric Carle
from World of Eric Carle
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"
by Patricia Thomas, illustrated by Wallace Tripp
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Raggedy Ann
by Johnny Gruelle
from Avenel Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, edited by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Avenel Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop
from Wordsworth Classics
for Nursery-2nd grade
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Heidi Holder
1st edition from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Angelina's Baby Sister
by Katharine Holabird; illustrated by Helen Craig
1st edition from Clarkson Potter Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Armadillo from Amarillo
by Lynne Cherry
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Ask Mr. Bear
by Marjorie Flack
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Babar and His Children / Tale of Benjamin Bunny
by Jean de Brunhoff (Babar); Beatrix Potter (Benjamin)
from Grolier Society
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.80 (2 in stock)
Babar and His Children OSI
by Jean De Brunhoff
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Babar and Zephir / Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
by Jean de Brunhoff (Babar) and Beatrix Potter (Squirrel Nutkin)
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Babar's Picnic
by Laurent de Brunhoff, translated by Merle Haas
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$25.60 (1 in stock)
Bargain for Frances
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
Berenstain Bears' Dollars and Sense
by Jan Berenstain, Stan Berenstain
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.09 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Book for Bramble
by Lynne Garner, illustrated by Gaby Hansen
from Orchard Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Book of Giant Stories
by David L. Harrison
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Bremen-town Musicians
by Ruth Belov Gross
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.20 (1 in stock)
Charlie at the Zoo
by Marcus Pfister
from North-South Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Chick & the Duckling
by Mirra Ginsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (6 in stock)
Christmas Trolls
by Jan Brett
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
from Greenwillow Books
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Come and Have Fun
by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Clement Hurd
1990 Reprint from HarperCrest
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Dancing Man
by Ruth Bornstein
from Weekly Reader
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
David and the Ice Elf
by Winifred Morris, illustrated by Maureen Hyde
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Day with Whisker Wickles
by Cynthia Jameson, illustrated by James Marshall
from Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Dear Peter Rabbit
by Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by Leslie Tryon
from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Diary of a Worm
by Doreen Cronin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?
by Eric Carle
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Dooryard Stories
by Clara Dillingham Pierson
from Living Book Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$8.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Duck for President
by Doreen Cronin
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Ellison the Elephant with Dramatized Audio CD
by Eric Drachman, illustrated by James Muscarello
from Kidwick Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Eric Carle's Animals Animals
by Eric Carle
First Edition from Philomel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Fables
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade
1981 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Fables
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade
1981 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Farfallina & Marcel
by Holly Keller
1st edition from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
George and Martha Back in Town
by James Marshall
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
George and Martha Encore
by James Marshall
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
George and Martha Rise and Shine
by James Marshall
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Giant John
by Arnold Lobel
Weekly Reader Book Club Ed. from Harper & Row
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Good Knight for Dragons
by Roger Bradfield
from Young Scott Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Good Night, Gorilla
by Peggy Rathmann
from Penguin Putnam
Picture Only Books for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Great Big Elephant & the Very Small Elephant
by Barbara Seuling
from Crown Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Great Fuzz Frenzy
by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Great Kettles
by Dean Morrissey
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Time-Traveling Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Green Eggs and Ham
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Green Eggs and Ham
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Grouchy Uncle Otto
by Alice Bach, illustrated by Steven Kellog
from HarperCrest
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Happy Day
by Ruth Krauss; illustrated by Marc Simont
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.20 (2 in stock)
Harvey's Hideout
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from Four Winds Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Hat
by Jan Brett
from Penguin Putnam
Animal Stories: Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hedgie's Surprise
by Jan Brett
from Putnam Juvenile
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hello, Red Fox
by Eric Carle
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Hot Air
by Marjorie Priceman
from Atheneum
for Preschool-3rd grade
2006 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
How Much Is a Million?
by David M. Schwartz
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
I'm Not Moving, Mama!
by Nancy White Carlstrom, Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom
from Macmillan
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.60 (1 in stock)
If You Made a Million
by David M. Schwartz
from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Invisible Moose
by Dennis Haseley, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Jamberry
by Bruce Degen
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.60 (1 in stock)
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?
by Nancy White Carlstrom, illustrated by Bruce Degen
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Kenny's Window
by Maurice Sendak
Undated Reprint from HarperCrest
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
by Audrey & Don Wood
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
King Who Rained
by Fred Gwynne
from Prentice Hall
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Koala Lou
by Mem Fox, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
from Sandpiper Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Library Lion
by Michelle Knudsen
1 Reprint from Candlewick Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.94 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Little Engine That Could
by Watty Piper, Cristina Ong (Illustrator)
1st edition from Philomel Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Engine That Could
by Watty Piper, illustrated by Dan Santat
Imagination Library Edition from Platt and Munk Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Rose of Sharon
by Nan Gurley
from Chariot Victor Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Little Whistle
by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Tim Bowers
from Harcourt
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Little Whistle's Dinner Party
by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Tim Bowers
from Harcourt
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lost in the Woods
by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick
from Carl R. Sams II Photography, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lyle at the Office
by Bernard Waber
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Magic Leaf
by Winifred Morris & Ju-Hong Chen
from Atheneum
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Many Moons
by James Thurber
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
McBroom's Ghost
by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Robert Frankenberg
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Meet Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
by Al Perkins, illustrated by John Hanna
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Millicent and the Wind
by Robert Munsch
from Annick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Mirror
by Alexandra Day & Christina Darling
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Misoso
by Verna Aardema
illustrated edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Mitten
by Jan Brett
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Mouse Tales
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Mr. Sipple and the Naughty Princess
by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler, illustrated by Richard E. Martin
from Follett
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Munschworks
by Robert N. Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko and Helene Desputeaux
from Annick Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Napping House
by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
New Shoes
from First Second
for Preschool-4th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Now We Are Six
by A. A. Milne
from Dutton Children's Books
Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Olivia - Board Book
by Ian Falconer
from Atheneum
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
2001 Caldecott Honor Book
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Olivia Saves the Circus
by Ian Falconer
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Once a Mouse
by Marcia Brown
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1962 Caldecott Medal Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
One Monster After Another
by Mercer Mayer
1st edition from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
One Silver Second
by Daphne Doward Hogstrom, illustrated by Gordon Laite
Stated First Printing from Rand McNally
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Patrick's Dinosaurs
by Carol Carrick, illustrated by Donald Carrick
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan (adapted)
by J. M. Barrie (original text), illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt
from Unicorn Publishing House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Piggins
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jane Dyer
from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Piggins and the Royal Wedding
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jane Dyer
from Harcourt Brace Jovanich
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Pinocchio / Adventures of Robin Hood
by C. Collodi, retold by Allen Chaffee and illustrated by Lois Lenski; Robin Hood retold by Eleanor Graham Vance and illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Poky Little Puppy
by Janette Sebring Lowrey & Gustaf Tenggren
from Golden Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.09 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Poppleton
Poppleton #1 of 5
by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Mark Teague
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Poppleton and Friends
by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
12