Books about lying for kids: picture books about telling the truth
Eleven picture books about fibs, lies that grow and the relief of telling the truth, chosen with the research on which honesty stories actually work, plus the AAP’s calm advice.
In this guide
The short answer
The best books about lying for kids show how a lie grows and how good the truth feels. For ages 3 to 5, try Franklin Fibs, David Gets in Trouble and Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie. For ages 5 to 8, read The Empty Pot by Demi, A Big Fat Enormous Lie and The Honest-to-Goodness Truth. Young children lying is normal, and the AAP advises calm over harsh punishment.
The first time your child looks you in the eye, chocolate on their face, and says “I didn’t eat it,” it can feel like a small shock. It is also completely normal. Books about lying for kids help because they let a child watch someone else tell a fib and feel how it grows, how heavy it gets and how good it feels to put it down. Below are 11 real picture books about honesty and telling the truth for ages 3 to 8, plus what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about why young children lie.
Every title is a published book we checked against the publisher, the library record or an award list. Most are easy to find at your local library.
Why young children lie, and why it is not a crisis
The AAP’s guidance for parents starts with a reassuring point: “Children younger than age 6 often have difficulty distinguishing between reality and fantasy.” For a three or four year old, the line between a wish, a story and a lie is still blurry. After about age 6, children can clearly tell truth from fantasy, so a lie is a choice.
Why do they make it? Most often, the AAP explains, a child first lies when they have done something they know is wrong and are afraid of disappointing their parents or being punished. That has a hopeful side: “lying shows that a child is aware that they have done something wrong.” Their conscience is working.
The AAP also notes that “Harsh punishment is usually not very effective,” and that parents who overreact may push a child to lie again to protect themselves. What works better is a calm, clear message that telling the truth will always go better than lying, and your own example. Our guide to a 4 year old who lies goes deeper on what to say in the moment.
What kind of story helps children tell the truth
Not every honesty story works the same way. In a study led by Kang Lee of the University of Toronto, published in Psychological Science, 268 children ages 3 to 7 heard one of four stories after being tempted to peek at a toy. Cautionary tales in which lying leads to disaster, such as Pinocchio and The Boy Who Cried Wolf, were no more effective at getting children to admit the truth than a fable that had nothing to do with honesty. Only the story in which young George Washington is praised for confessing made a difference: children who heard it were three times more likely to tell the truth.
So we favored books where telling the truth brings relief, respect or a reward, and left out the ones that only show what happens to liars.
Books about lying for kids ages 3 to 5
For little ones, the best stories are short, a little funny and end with the relief of telling the truth.
1. Franklin Fibs, by Paulette Bourgeois, illustrated by Brenda Clark
Franklin the turtle wants to impress his friends, so he claims he can swallow seventy-six flies in the blink of an eye. Then they ask him to prove it. A gentle, very relatable story about a fib told to fit in, and why the truth is better.
2. David Gets in Trouble, by David Shannon
David is always in trouble, and it is never his fault: it was an accident, he didn’t mean to, he forgot. Children laugh at the pile of excuses, then see David finally say what is hard to say. Short, loud and perfect for ages 3 to 5.
3. The Berenstain Bears and the Truth, by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Brother and Sister Bear accidentally break Mama Bear’s favorite lamp, and then the trouble really starts. A familiar series makes it an easy first book about telling the truth.
4. Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie, by Laura Rankin
Ruthie finds a teeny tiny camera on the playground and claims it as her own, even when her classmate Martin says it was his birthday present. All day, the lie weighs on her until she can hardly stand it. It captures the physical feeling of a guilty conscience better than any book we know.
Books about honesty for kids ages 5 to 8
From five on, children can follow a lie that grows, a choice with a cost and the idea that honesty can be brave.
5. A Big Fat Enormous Lie, by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, illustrated by David McPhail
A boy tells a small lie about eating the cookies, and the lie turns into a monster that follows him everywhere and keeps getting bigger. It is the clearest picture we know of how a lie feels from the inside, and it is a good one to bring up later: “Is there a lie monster following you?”
6. A Day’s Work, by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ronald Himler
To get his grandfather a day’s work, Francisco tells a contractor that the old man, who speaks no English, is an experienced gardener. He is not, and the job goes wrong. What his grandfather does next teaches Francisco something worth more than the day’s pay. Best for ages 6 to 8.
7. The Empty Pot, by Demi
The emperor will choose his successor by giving every child in the kingdom a flower seed. Ping can grow anything, but his seed will not sprout, and he has to decide whether to bring an empty pot to the palace. A beautiful story about how honesty can take courage.
8. Jamaica’s Find, by Juanita Havill, illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien
Jamaica finds a stuffed dog in the park and decides to take it home instead of turning it in. A quiet, realistic story about doing the right thing when no one would ever know, and about the child who lost the toy.
9. Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, by Evaline Ness
Sam, a fisherman’s daughter, tells wild stories her father calls “moonshine,” until one of them puts her friend in danger. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1967. It is the perfect book for the age when children are learning the difference between make-believe and a lie.
10. The Honest-to-Goodness Truth, by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Giselle Potter
After promising never to lie again, Libby tells the whole truth about everyone, all the time, and her friends are hurt. She learns that being honest is not the same as blurting out everything. A wise book for six to eight year olds about honesty and kindness together.
11. Arthur and the True Francine, by Marc Brown
Francine and Muffy are good friends, until Muffy lets Francine take the blame for cheating on a test. A school-age story about the lie of staying quiet, and about what friendship asks of us.
How to read books about telling the truth
- Read them on calm days. A book about lying read right after a lie can feel like a trap. Read it when nobody is in trouble, then refer back to it later.
- Ask how the character felt. “How did Ruthie feel all day?” helps a child notice the heavy feeling a lie brings, which is more convincing than any rule.
- Celebrate the moment of truth. Point out the relief when a character finally tells the truth, and do the same at home: “Thank you for telling me. That was hard.”
- Watch the little white lies. The AAP points out that children can be confused when they are told never to lie but hear grown-ups stretch the truth for convenience. Kids notice.
When to talk to your pediatrician
Occasional lying in young children is a normal part of development. If lying becomes a frequent pattern that does not ease with time and calm responses, the AAP suggests that a child with a history of chronic lying be seen by a counselor or a mental-health professional. Your pediatrician is a good first call and can help you find the right person.
Honesty also comes up around money: who spent the dollar, where the change went. For the bigger picture, see our guide on how to teach kids about money.
Questions parents ask
What is a good book about lying for a 4 year old?
Franklin Fibs by Paulette Bourgeois, David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon and Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin all work well for ages 3 to 5. They are short, a little funny and end with the relief of telling the truth, without shaming the character.
Is it normal for a 4 year old to lie?
Yes. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that children younger than 6 often have difficulty telling reality from fantasy, so the line between a story and a lie is blurry. When young children do lie on purpose, it is usually to avoid trouble or disappointing a parent, which shows their conscience is developing.
How should I respond when my child lies?
Stay calm and let them know you are aware they are not telling the truth. The AAP says harsh punishment is usually not very effective. Instead, make it clear that they will get in much less trouble for telling the truth than for lying, and model honesty yourself, including skipping the little white lies.
What are good books about honesty for older kids?
For ages 5 to 8, try The Empty Pot by Demi, about a boy brave enough to bring an empty pot to the emperor, A Big Fat Enormous Lie by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, and The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia C. McKissack, which shows that honesty and kindness go together.
Sources
- When Children Lie: What Parents Can Do (adapted from Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12) American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org
- The moral of the story? Spare kids those cautionary tales (June 2014) University of Toronto
- Caldecott Medal and Honor Books, 1938 to present Association for Library Service to Children, American Library Association
Links checked on October 12, 2026. Guidance changes; the publishers above keep the current version.
Written by the WonderLab Journal editorial desk and checked against the sources above. Found something out of date? Tell us through the corrections page.
