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Fiction by Genre

Fiction is good. It's not just lies—lies are the dishonest things we tell other people out of selfishness, while fiction is (or should be) those stories used to reveal truth. Not that all stories have to be tied up with a neat moral at the end. Truth wears many faces, and our favorite stories are as varied, and often as unresolved, as life itself.

A good book always has something to say, however. Even if the message is as simple as "it's good to have friends" or "growing up is difficult no matter who you are," there is a message and it can be understood. There are books that are all plot....but they aren't good books. There are books that are all blatant morality and character-building....also not good books, at least in the sense we mean here.

For those of you about to stop reading, know this: we aren't promoting immoral books. Just because there isn't an obvious "and Johnny was happy because he knew that stealing was bad" ending doesn't mean we support kids reading about worldly characters doing worldly things as though this was normal and healthy. But we also don't think Pathway Readers are the only appropriate fiction available to children.

What we mean by "good book" is one which accurately depicts human nature, demonstrates an engaging style, displays a consistent worldview, and doesn't use cheap tricks to get readers interested. That excludes a lot of books. It also includes a lot of books, and they typically aren't the ones filling the new release racks at Barnes & Noble.

We emphasize classic fiction at Exodus Books. That's not to say we shun all modern fiction, but typically good writing survives for years and years and years on its own merits, and those books that fit that description can be trusted more than those still in their infancy. Genres we find particularly problematic are those built around cheap formulas and plots with little to say (fantasy, sci-fi and mystery series come immediately to mind).

Books that rely on non-stop action and thrills are also avoided by our charming and discerning book-buying staff. Kids need to learn to enjoy reading because it's good for them and offers new ways to look at the world, not simply for a book's entertainment value. It's not enough just to read—if you read a steady diet of trash or sub-standard fiction you're really no better off than watching hours of television.

There is a difference between children's and adult literature. Kids shouldn't be sheltered, but they also aren't prepared to deal with the themes and darker elements adults must confront. Most of the titles in this section are "safe"—not a lot of extreme violence, sexual content, profanity, etc. here (though there is some overlap with the adult and children's genres).

Along the same lines, we don't encourage letting kids read abridged versions of classics or advanced material. Everything we offer is unabridged unless explicitly stated—it's far better to have kids read stories at their level than to have them read edited and often misrepresented versions of books not intended for children. If they read Charlotte's Web and Rufus M. as kids, they'll be ready for Great Expectations when they're older.

Nowhere in the Bible does God say "Read fiction. It'll make you a better person." But neither does He say "Have a time set aside for daily devotions. It's the only path to true spirituality." Simply because there's no command in Scripture doesn't mean a particular activity isn't a really good idea. Not that reading the Bible and reading fiction are in any way on the same level. Reading God helps us understand Him better—reading fiction helps us understand ourselves.

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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Parent Categories
Fiction by Genre
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89 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Nursery (Ages 2-4), Hardcover
"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"
by Patricia Thomas
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Adventures of Tom Thumb
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
Aesop's Fables
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Aesop, illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Avenel Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes
Book 22
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99 $5.00 (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)
$32.00 (1 in stock)
Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes
Book 23
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$6.99
Classic Bedtime Stories
by Scott Gustafson
from Greenwich Workshop Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Book of Flower Fairies
by Cicely Mary Barker
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$30.00
Cupid and Psyche
by M. Charlotte Craft & K. Y. Craft
from Morrow Junior Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Elves And The Shoemaker
by John Cech, illustrated by Kirill Chelushkin
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Elves and the Shoemaker
Tip-Top Elf Book
by Illustrated by Manning De V. Lee
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Family Treasury of Children's Stories #3
by Pauline Rush Evans
from Doubleday & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Favorite All-Time Classics
by Various Anthology
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-1st grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Fish Out of Water
by Helen Palmer
from Random House
Animal Fantasy/Rhyming Stories for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Funny Thing
by Wanda Gag
from Smithmark Publishers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (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)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
from Picture Book Studio
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Gingerbread Man
by Jim Aylesworth; illustrated by Barbara McClintock
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Harper & Row
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Guess How Much I Love You
by Sam McBratney, illustrations by Anita Jeram
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Gullywasher
by Joyce Rossi
from Luna Rising
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (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's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-1st grade
2008 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Henry's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-1st grade
2008 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Hey, Diddle Diddle and other Nonsense Rhymes
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Davi Botts (illustrator)
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
If You Plant a Seed
by Kadir Nelson
from Balzer & Bray
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
King Midas and the Golden Touch
by Charlotte Craft, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft
from William Morrow & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book
by Bob Hartman, Krisztina Kallai Nagy
from Lion Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
Little Lamb to the Rescue
by Erica Briers, illustrated by Stephanie Boey
from The Templar Co.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Mary Frances Knitting and Crocheting Book
by Jane Eayre Fryer
from Lacis Publications
in Purposeful Homemaking (Location: SS-HOM)
Miss Twiggley's Tree
by Dorothea Fox
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Viking Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
My Brimful Book
by Dana Bruce (editor), illustrated by Tasha Tudor, Margot Austin, and Wesley Dennis
from Platt and Munk Publishers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Mystery of the Gate Sign
by Margaret Friskey, Illustrated by Katherine Evans
from Children's Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Magic Meadow
by Margaret Friskey, Illustrated by Frances Eckart
from Children's Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
North Wind and the Sun
by Jean de La Fontaine, illustrated by Brian Wildsmith
4th impression 1966 from Franklin Watts
for Nursery-1st grade
Over the Hills and Far Away
by Elizabeth Hammill
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
Peter Cottontail's Surprise
by Bonnie Worth
from Unicorn Publishing House
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
Reissue from Yearling
Satirical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Polar Opposites
by Erik Brooks
from Two Lions
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Pumpkin Runner
by Marsha Diane Arnold & Brad Sneed
1st edition from Dial Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Rapunzel
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by Sheilah Beckett
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
Read-To-Me Storybook
by Lois Lenski, Illustrator
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
Red Book
by Barbara Lehman
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever
by Richard Scarry
50th Anniversary Edition from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$17.99
Richard Scarry's Funniest Storybook Ever
by Richard Scarry
2017 edition from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Richard Scarry's The Bunny Book
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.99
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
by Robert L. May, Barbara Shook Hazen (Adapter), illustrated by Richard Scarry
"I" Printing from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Runaway Chick
by Erica Briers, illustrated by Stephanie Boey
from The Templar Co.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Saggy Baggy Elephant
by B. Jackson, Kathryn Jackson
1st edition from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.99
Sleep Like a Tiger
by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
from Houghton Mifflin
for Nursery-2nd grade
2013 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Smokey the Bear
by Jane Werner, illustrated by Richard Scarry
1979 Printing from Western Publishing
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Sneetches and Other Stories
by Dr. Seuss
1St Edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
by Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki
from Picture Book Studio
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Springtime Treasury
by Sue Barraclough, illustrated by Simon Mendez
from The Templar Co.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Starry Tales
by Geraldine McCaughrean, Sophy Williams (Illustrator)
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
Fairy Tales & Fables for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
Stories from Around the World
by Heather Amery
from Usborne
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit
Book 20
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Miss Moppet
Book 21
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$7.99
Tailor of Gloucester
Book 3
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tailor of Gloucester
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Benjamin Bunny
Book 4
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tale of Ginger and Pickles
Book 18
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
Book 9
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
Book 13
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tale of Mr. Tod
Book 14
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$7.99
Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse
Book 11
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tale of Pigling Bland
Book 15
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$7.99
Tale of Samuel Whiskers
Book 16
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Book 2
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
Book 10
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan
Book 17
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Timmy Tiptoes OSI
Book 12
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
Tale of Tom Kitten
Book 8
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Two Bad Mice
Book 5
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
The Lorax
by Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Ugly Duckling
by Hans Christian Andersen
from C. R. Gibson
for Nursery-1st grade
Under the Saskatoon Tree
Whitman Tell-A-Tale #2543
by Solveig Paulson Russell, illustrated by Bonnie and Bull Rutherford
from Whitman Publishing Company
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Walt Disney's Three Little Pigs
by Adapted from the Disney movie by Milt Banta and Al Dempster
from Western Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
What Lily Goose Found
by Annabelle Sumera, illustrated by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
4th Printing 1980 from Golden Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
Whispering Rabbit
by Margaret Wise Brown
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
Winnie the Pooh Storybook Collection
by Adapted by Thea Feldman and Catherine Hapka, illustrated by Disney storybook artists
from Disney Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
by Dr. Seuss
First Edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
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