Absolutely beautiful and vibrant illustrations. which were the main draw of this book. I can see children loving the design of the Fib, and also being inspired to draw their own comic books like the main character. The moral was clear and sweet, and the scary elements remained grounded and goofy enough that I'm sure it being read out loud could be a fun experience for caregivers and children alike.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Fib is a brightly colored picture book for children about telling fibs.
Pepe doesn't feel the item he's brought to class for show and tell is good enough to present after seeing all his classmates' items and tricks. When it's his turn, he decides to tell a fib. He makes up a description of a pet called Fib, who he got in Mexico. With each lie, he tells the Fib grows bigger, meaner, and scarier until Pepe has lost control of it all together. The teacher tells him to undo a Fibb, you must tell the truth, and so Pepe begins admitting his lies, and the Fib shrinks and goes away.
This is a great way of teaching children about the importance of being honest and that lies can cause bigger problems and get out of hand once you start telling them.

I thought that this nook was really good and it was very well done.

The story follows Pepe who struggles to find something exciting for show and tell so he starts to tell a small, little lie about a magical creature with horns like a ram, claws like a bear, wings like a bat, eyes like an owl, and a tail like a lion... But, Pepe and his class soon discover that this harmless fib has taken on a whole life of its own.

The book shows children why it is bad to lie and how any lie, including those very small, can spiral out of control. The book teaches a valuable lesson. It is really well done, I read the book with my daughter to attends Primary School and it really resonated with her as there is a boy in her class who doesn't behave and is very much like Pepe.

It is 4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon - highly recommended!

Helpful concept bringing a Lie to life.

This helps the idea make sense to children of why lying can be hard, painful and impossible to maintain - as well as considering the effect it has on others.

Pepe doesn't feel he can show his homemade comic at Show and Tell. So he pretends he has a tiny pet with him... and ends up agreeing it's called a Fib. But as the tales he tells about the Fib grow... so does the Fib. Until it's almost out of control and worrying his class and teacher.

Can Pepe get his little lies under control and do the right thing?

Anthropomorphising a Lie/Fib gives a pictural spin on what can happen when lies spin out of control. The Fib here is a little like a Gruffalo, but gets more threatening as it grows. It won't need much prompting/discussion for children to intuitively understand a fair amount about why lying isn't good.

Nicely written, and enjoyed the illustrations.

For ages 3-8.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

I am having a surprising amount of fun reading children's book, somewhat from not having so much access and variety as a kid, partly because I'm in some kind of long viral nightmare with no end in site and the world is screwed, so it's nice to have a little light comfort, and lastly because it's just so wonderful to see what is available for kids these days.

This is a charming little book with what I have come to understand is the in vogue stylish and sketchy digital pencils artwork, and some wonderful monster design.

A kid tells a fib about a fib, which snowballs into a huge and exciting monster that can only be brought under control with honesty.

A fun and relatively subtle, while surprisingly meta, exploration of lies, fibs, the truth, and the power of these things.

Lonely stuff!

I read this with my grandson who is nearly 9. He had no trouble reading this in a few minutes, but he wasn't impressed with the story. It seems like the writing is at a level for 7+ to read, but it is a bit too short, as though aimed at a 5 year old, but the reading seems too hard for that age. But I thought it was a nice story.

A beautiful picture book with a meaningful message that shows how a small lie can grow into something big and frightening. Through expressive illustrations and a thoughtfully told story, it helps children understand the importance of honesty in an engaging and memorable way.

I read this book to my little boy at bedtime and he has rated it as "a good story".

The fib is a quick read aiming to show children how a "little fib" can escalate and it's therefore important to tell the truth. The story was well written, easy to follow and the illustrations were great as well. A lovely book for little minds to enjoy!

Pepe is nervous about show-and-tell. He doesn’t think he has anything special to share. Everyone else’s things are so much more interesting than the comic book he spent all summer drawing. So instead, Pepe tells a little lie, turning the ball of lint in his pocket into his special pet. And when a classmate says the description sounds like a fib, Pepe (who doesn’t know what the word means) agrees that his pet is definitely a Fib. But as Pepe continues to lie to his classmates, the Fib grows into a ferocious monster that terrorizes the whole school!
This is a cute story about the way a little fib can grow into an uncontrollable monster, with a bonus lesson on the way the same imagination that creates harmful fibs can be used to create magical stories to entertain those around us. The illustrations are whimsical and fun, with just the right touch of scariness to the Fib as it grows ever more uncontrollable.

When young Pepe is forced to put away the comic book he has been busy creating because the classroom teacher instructs the students to begin a new project-- an endeavor for students to create innovative ways to share a few of their favorite things for show and tell-- he becomes nervous. Pepe has no idea what to share for show and tell and he believes all of the other students have wonderful things to share with the class. So, Pepe explains that he has a pet-- a tiny monster-like creature with seemingly fictional features. The students seated in a desk behind him explains that Pepe's pet sounds like "a fib" and in their lines of dialogue, this tiny pet becomes exactly what Pepe has been accused of. When Pepe allows his classmates to look at and marvel at his pet "fib", he finds himself making up stories simply to answer their myriad of questions. Of course, every time Pepe makes up an answer rather than telling the truth, his pet "fib" grows to monstrous proportions. Eventually, after this giant fib-creature has terrorized the entire school, Pepe's teacher, Mrs. Apple, explains that in order to harness the "fib" and bring it back under his control, Pepe must tell the truth. Pepe learns to minimize his pet into a speck of lint simply by returning to his teacher and each of his classmates and telling them the exact truth to their questions. As it turns out, the truth is much more fascinating and exciting than any fib he could think of.

This is a wonderful story to share with children who might experience tendencies of allowing their imaginations to wander and their creativity to overtake their reasoning skills. However, all children will delight in the whimsical method the story is portrayed and delivered.

The Fib - My 7 yr old had no idea what a fib was. Once she understood the book was about lying, she understood how scary the Fib monster can get and that the only way to make it disappear is by telling the truth. It was a good conversation starter and at the end, both my kids saw how quickly the Fib could grow and get out of control. As my 7 yr old said “You have to keep telling lie after lie to keep your story going and that will keep feeding your Fib.” Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheFib #NetGalley

The Fib is a brilliant modern take on the classic Pinocchio story, exploring the way our little white lies can easily get out of hand. When Pepe is too nervous to share his comic book with his class, he shares an imaginary pet instead, but each lie he tells about the creature makes it become more real. Pepe soon loses control of his imaginary creature, the Fib, and realises it may have been better to tell the truth all along.

The illustrations are simple but effective in a style that children will easily engage with. Mentions the American grade system at the start, but this won't detract from the story for British readers.

I read this story with my little boy and we both really enjoyed the story. It has a strong story moral all linking to telling ‘fibs’ / lies. The idea of a physical fib which was created for the children to visually see was an amazing idea and really highlighted that lies can lose control and snowball until they become hard to come back from. This is an easy concept to understand and brings forward some great discussion points for children. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is a cautionary tale for primary aged children which is simply told and beautifully illustrated. When Pepe tells a fib at school, a small monster appears - as he embellishes his story the monster grows and Pepe is scared and doesn't know what to do to control it. This is a great way to show how lies can easily spiral out of control. A must for primary school bookshelves.

A really lovely book about how dubs can get easily out of control. Great for PSHE and literacy. As a Year 2 teacher I can see myself using this a lot for use of similes, expanded noun phrases and potential for a pie Corbett T4W topic.

The fib, a little lie that grows bigger and bigger every time you tell a lie, even if its a small one, the story.
The illustrations are amazing, I throughly enjoyed them, this monster with this felt like texture and the characters in a simple style, it felt ... refreshing.
So I recommend this book to ANYONE who does not understand how lies can become harmful very quickly, but specially children.
Thanks to netgalley for providing this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Recommended ages: ~5–8, depending on sensitivity to spooky imagery

Pepe’s got a problem—he’s nervous about sharing his handmade comic book during show-and-tell, so instead he pulls a random piece of lint from his pocket… and tells a fib. A tiny one. But that little lie? It takes on a life of its own—literally.

This clever picture book turns the idea of a "fib" into a full-blown (and fuzzy) monster, showing how even small lies can spiral out of control when you keep trying to cover them up. The allegory is spot on, and the way the story builds as Pepe’s fib gets bigger—and harder to manage—is both engaging and relatable.

The illustrations are colorful. The fib monster is an awesome visual representation of guilt and growing lies, though heads up: very little ones might find his claws and teeth a bit spooky.

The Fib will be published October 7, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gloo Books, and Pedro Iniguez for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't usually read children's books, but I'm also an artist, and the illustrations just captured my attention, and they were a lot of fun. I enjoyed this book a lot. It's short, but informative, teaching children, in a very lighthearted way, about how telling even small lies can lead to big trouble, and the proper way to counteract that. Yes, there's a monster, but its one of the cutest little (then big) monsters, I've ever seen.

This is book is perfect for younger readers (age 5 and up) who can handle a tiny bit of spookiness in their stories, with a life lesson in it as well. If this book reaches them at just the right age, it would definitely have a huge influence in their life.

I loved this and want to get it for my kiddo even though he's not quite to that age yet. I think the art style of this is so cool. This book is an interesting way to show how a small fib can get out of control fast - and can feel quite overwhelming. I appreciate the way this storyline went.

Mrs. Apple's class has show and tell. But Pepe doesn't think his show and tell will be as amazing as the things the rest of the class brought. What can he do? Luckily, there is a fib in his pocket.
This book would be great for a preschool aged kid. The illustrations will keep your eye. There are repetitive words you can have them recognize. And the message is one that age often needs to learn. Thanks to Gloo books and Netgalley for this cute story.