This dissertation proposes the use of thematic children’s realistic fiction books as a means of encouraging natural EFL acquisition in eight to nine-year olds. The themes chosen invite teachers to help students cope with the struggling issue of bullying, while strengthening core values such as honesty and responsibility. Realistic fiction books enable students to explore day to day issues and to relate them with their own lives, while increasing the opportunity of self-exploration, self-expression, and group discussions. Choosing realistic fiction books that have a direct relevance to student’s lives in EFL classrooms leaves an open door, for teachers and students, to use language in innovative ways and to develop alternative forms of comprehension. Both, teacher and students will be able to explore written texts in connection with the real world and their own experiences, generating a strong and meaningful learning of the foreign language. Ultimately, this dissertation promotes the use of children’s realistic fiction books in an environment where literature is the driving force for teaching and acquiring EFL in a fun, natural and a more real way, while fostering honesty and responsibility as viable values for helping children face daily life issues, specifically bullying
