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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127 Items found Print
Active Filters: Kindergarten (Ages 5-6), Hardcover
Adèle & Simon
by Barbara McClintock
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Adèle & Simon in America
by Barbara McClintock
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Adventures of Tim
by Edward Ardizzone
from Chancellor Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah
by Emily Jenkins
from Schwartz & Wade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Andrew Henry's Meadow
by Doris Burn
from Philomel Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
Exodus Books 5-Star Rating
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14 $8.40 (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)
$6.00 (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)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
April's Kittens
by Clare Turlay Newberry
from Harper & Brothers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1941 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Armadillo's Orange
by Jim Arnosky
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Babushka
by Charles Mikolaycak
1st edition from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Bambi's Children
by Felix Salten, adapted by Allen Chaffee and illustrated by Phoebe Erickson
from Bobbs-Merril Co
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Beaver Pond
by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Unknown Publisher
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Big Tree
by Mary Buff, Conrad Buff
1st Edition from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
1947 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Blossom Comes Home
by James Herriot
from St. Martin's Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.84
Bluewater Journal
by Loretta Krupinski
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle
Second Edition, 25th Anniversary Edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Bufo
by Robert M. McClung
from William Morrow & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Child's Calendar
by John Updike
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
2000 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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)
$14.41
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)
Christmas Cat
by Efner Tudor Holmes, Tasha Tudor (Illustrator)
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Christmas in Noisy Village OSI
by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Ilon Wikland
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cow Who Fell in the Canal
by Phyllis Krasilovsky
from Doubleday & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon
by Jim Arnosky
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cranberry Christmas
by Wende & Harry Devlin
First Edition from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cranberry Halloween
by Wende & Harry Devlin
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Dick King-Smith's Animal Friends
by Dick King-Smith, Anita Jeram (Illustrator)
from Candlewick Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Double Birthday Present
by Mabel Leigh Hunt, illustrated by Elinore Blaisdell
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Eddie's Menagerie
by Carolyn Haywood
1st edition from Troll Associates
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Elf Owl
by Mary & Conrad Buff
3rd Printing from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Everett Anderson's Goodbye
by Lucille Clifton, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi
from Henry Holt and Company
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1984 Coretta Scott King Award
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)
$16.14
Finders Keepers
by Will and Nicholas
Reissue from Houghton Mifflin
for Kindergarten-4th grade
1952 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.95
Fire Engine Book
by Tibor Gergely
1st edition from Golden Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.09
Fish Head
by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Marc Simont
2nd Edition, 1972 from Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Five O'Clock Charlie
by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Rand McNally
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Little Dog
by Maj Lindman
from Albert Whitman & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates
by Maj Lindman
Updated from Albert Whitman & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Fox Eyes
by Margaret Wise Brown
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Fry Bread
by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
from Roaring Brook Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
2020 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Magi: Collectors Edition
by O. Henry, illustrated by Robert Sauber
from Unicorn Publishing House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Giraffe Trouble
by Jean Craighead George
1st edition
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gorilla Baby
by Pearl Wolf
from Scholastic Book Services
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1994 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.49 $4.80 (2 in stock)
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$15.29
Happy Little Family
Fairchild Family Series #1
by Rebecca Caudill
1st edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Harry and the Lady Next Door
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Gene Zion
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
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)
$6.40 (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)
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)
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)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Home in the Woods
by Eliza Wheeler
from Nancy Paulsen Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Hooray, A Pinata!
by Elisa Kleven
from Dutton Children's Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
I, Christopher Columbus
by Lisl Weil
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Clearance: Picture Books (Location: ZCLE-PIC)
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)
If Jesus Came to My House
by Joan Gale Thomas
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.76
In Plain Sight
by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29
James Herriot's Animal Stories
by James Herriot
from St. Martin's Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Jolly Barnyard
by Annie North Bedford
1st edition from Golden Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$1.60 (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)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Kate Greenaway's Marigold Garden
by Kate Greenaway
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Knots on a Counting Rope
by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault
Reprint from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Little Donkey Close Your Eyes
by Margaret Wise Brown
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Little Princess (adapted)
by Barbara McClintock
from HarperCollins
Orphan Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Long Ago in Oregon
by Claudia Lewis, illustrated by Joel Fontaine
from Harper & Row
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
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)
Lotus Seed
by Sherry Garland
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Lucky Ducklings
by Eva Moore& Nancy Carpenter
from Orchard Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Lysbet and the Fire Kittens
by Marietta D. Moskin & Margot Tomes
from Putnam Juvenile
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
Later Printing from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1942 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.99
Make Way for McCloskey
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$25.49
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)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Market Square Dog
by James Herriot
from St. Martin's Press
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Mighty Jackie
by Marissa Moss
1st edition from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
in Clearance: Picture Books (Location: ZCLE-PIC)
$15.29 $6.40 (1 in stock)
Mike's House
by Julia L. Sauer, illustrated by Don Freeman
from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Moses the Kitten
by James Herriot, illustrated by Peter Barrett
from St. Martin's Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Most Wonderful Doll in the World
by Phyllis McGinley, Illustrated by Helen Stone
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1951 Caldecott Honor Book
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1963 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
My Favorite Songs
by Maria Trapp
from Veritas Press
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$17.00
Oh, What a Busy Day
by Gyo Fujikawa
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Old Home Day
by Donald Hall
from Unknown Publisher
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
One Lighthouse, One Moon
by Anita Lobel
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
One Morning in Maine
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1953 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.99
Only One Woof
by James Herriot, illustrated by Peter Barrett
from St. Martin's Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Oscar, Cat-About-Town
by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown
from St. Martin's Press
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Penny and Peter
by Carolyn Haywood
from Harcourt Children's Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Penny Goes to Camp
by Carolyn Haywood
11th printing, 1970 from Harcourt Children's Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Phantom, Son of the Gray Ghost
by C. W. Anderson
from Macmillan
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Pink and Say
by Patricia Polacco
from Philomel Books
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pinkerton, Behave!
by Steven Kellogg
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Clearance: Picture Books (Location: ZCLE-PIC)
Real Pretend
by Joan Donaldson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from Checkerboard Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Rfaud Tastes Wisdom
Plain Proverbs Book #1
by Martin D. Carlson
1st edition from BoCook Publishing
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.41
Roxaboxen
by Alice McLerran
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Roxaboxen
by Alice McLerran
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Sadako
by Eleanor Coerr
from Penguin Putnam
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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