Books like Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!

If you liked Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!, read There Is a Bird On Your Head! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) or Are You Ready to Play Outside? — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes? The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades K–2 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!

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Why each is a match

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There Is a Bird On Your Head! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)grades K–2
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (K–2), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Are You Ready to Play Outside?grades K–2
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Bink and Gollie: Two for Onegrades K–2
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Charlie & Mouse Even Bettergrades K–2
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Don't Throw It to Mo!grades K–2
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Fox Has a Problemgrades 2–5
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Fox the Tigergrades K–2
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
See the Cat: Three Stories About a Doggrades K–2
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Zelda and Ivy, the Runawaysgrades K–2
Both on the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award list, overlapping grades (K–2), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
A Green Place to begrades K–5
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

  • Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson · grades 3–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Clementine by Sara Pennypacker · grades 3–8 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Please Write in this Book by Mary Amato · grades 3–5 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Savvy by Ingrid Law · grades 5–12 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).

Books like Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

  • Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson · grades 3–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Clementine by Sara Pennypacker · grades 3–8 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Savvy by Ingrid Law · grades 5–12 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!?
The 10 closest matches to Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes on ReadingList include There Is a Bird On Your Head! (An Elephant and Piggie Book), Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Bink and Gollie: Two for One, Charlie & Mouse Even Better, and Don't Throw It to Mo!. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–2), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–2), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?
Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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