Books About Honesty & Integrity for Children

The Empty Pot is Demi's beloved picture book about an honest schoolboy.

Demi’s exquisite art and beautifully simple text show how Ping’s embarrassing failure is turned triumphant in this satisfying tale of honesty rewarded.

*** Winner of Caldecott Medal in 1976 and the Brooklyn Art Books for Children Award in 1977.

This African folk tale, told with award-winning graphics and narration reminiscent of the traditional village storyteller, is the story of how a tale passes from animal to animal, creating a jungle disaster.

The Emperor himself, his court, and his clothes — or lack of them — are ridiculous as only the master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen can make them.

Horace thought it was the best truck he had even seen. So he stuck it in his pocket and took it home.

The only trouble was, it wasn’t his…

Nancy wants to do an interesting school report on her ancestor. (That’s fancy for a family member who lived long ago.)

But will she remember to stick to the plain truth?

Laura Rankin touches on an important childhood issue of lying with gentleness and humor, offering a reassuring look at how standing up for the truth can help cut even the biggest mistake down to size.

The further hilarious education of one of kid lit's most celebrated villains.

Big Bad Wolf’s first visit to his local library (as related in Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf) was such a success that he returns to tell his version of “The Three Little Pigs.”

His outrageous spin on the tale draws skeptical remarks from his audience: “Isn’t that wolf’s nose getting longer?” asks Pinocchio.

It's never too soon to learn the difference between what's true and what isn't.

Words and pictures help young children discover that being honest in words and actions builds trust and self-confidence. They also learn that telling the truth sometimes takes courage and tact.

Inspired by Jewish and Islamic traditional texts, this is a beautiful tale about doing the right thing, even in the face of adversity.

Eli knows the difference between pretending and real facts.

Sometimes in real life keeping to the facts is hard for Eli.

With the help of his parents and the super-deluxe lie-o-meter, Eli learns about the consequences of his fibs and the value of telling the truth.

Violet has a great new backpack with wheels and zippers, but when the many pockets distract her and cause her to misplace her homework, she tells a lie to cover it up, so the teacher gives her an even harder assignment.

This anxious student discovers that it’s more important to tell the truth than to keep it zipped up in this timely tale.

Sam, Bangs & Moonshine is the winner of the 1967 Caldecott Medal. Samantha (known as Sam) is a fisherman’s daughter who dreams rich and lovely dreams–moonshine, her father says.

But when her tall stories bring disaster to her friend Thomas and her cat Bangs, Sam learns to distinguish between moonshine and reality.

B.G. Hennessy’s retelling of this timeless fable is infused with fanciful whimsy through Boris Kulikov’s hilarious and ingenious illustrations.

This tale is sure to leave readers grinning sheepishly.

Passed from generation to generation, Aesop’s best-loved fables are presented here with beautiful illustrations that bring these naughty, bold, brave, and lovable creatures to life.

These famous tales tickle the imagination and teach simple truths, ones that children and adults face every day.

Inside are twenty classic fables, including The Tortoise and the Hare, The Goose Who Laid the Golden Eggs, and The City Mouse and the Country Mouse.

This beloved story is a perfect way to teach children about the importance of honesty.

When Mama goes to the market, Brother and Sister play soccer in the house . . . and end up breaking a lamp!

When Mama asks them what happened, they tell her a series of whoppers that just get bigger and bigger. Will they ever tell her the truth? 

Jess and her brother accidentally break a vase. When their mom about the vase, Jess has to decide whether or not to tell the truth.

In order to win an important baseball game, twelve-year-old Kyle claims to have made a difficult catch which he actually dropped.

The unearned win gives his team, the Reds, an unfair advantage in the championship series against the Cubs, and everyone–from his teammates to his parents–considers him the hero of the game.

But the heady excitement of the praise and attention he receives is not enough to silence his conscience, which starts getting to get the better of him. 

As the oldest in a rambunctious, restaurant-owning family of six, Dessert seems to be better at getting into trouble than getting out of it.

And that’s because, for this eight-year-old, saying sorry is definitely not a piece o’cake!

Everyone seems to know what they want to be for Career Day at school that is, everyone except Mallory. She can’t seem to find anything she’s good at.

Mallory’s lie grows and grows until she must face the truth and make amends with her class, friends, teachers, and parents.

Mike’s telepathic dog Harry is able to tell him what the other football team plans to do on the field, but Mike wonders–is it cheating?

Can he win the game without Harry’s help?

Mr. Elives’s magic shop is back, and this time it is on the other side of Tucker’s Swamp. And Tucker’s Swamp is where Charlie Eggleston heads to escape a beating-for lying.

Charlie can’t seem to keep from lying, though sometimes his lies are for a good cause.

Author Fred Bowen delivers exciting play-by-play action along with an important story of winning and losing, truth and consequences, and good sportsmanship.