Books like Dog Breath

If you liked Dog Breath, read Arnie, the Doughnut, No More Dead Dogs, or The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey (Humor · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of humorous stories, dogs, and bad breath. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Dog Breath

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Why each is a match

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Arnie, the Doughnutgrades 2–8
Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
No More Dead Dogsgrades 2–8
Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissorsgrades 2–8
Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
Piggie Pie!grades 3–5
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
The Sixth Grade Nickname Gamegrades 4–6
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
A Bad Case of Stripesgrades 2–8
Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon →
Banana Twistgrades 4–6
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Daysgrades 4–6
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Dear Mrs. LaRuegrades 3–5
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
Double Fudgegrades 4–6
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →

Books like Dog Breath for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

  • ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of dogs, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Scat by Carl Hiaasen · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of dogs, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Bone by Jeff Smith · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).

Books like Dog Breath for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Knocked Out by Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–5).
  • My Horrible Secret by Stephen Roos · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by O'Malley, Kevin · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–5).
  • Ribsy by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Dog Breath for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • My Horrible Secret by Stephen Roos · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Ribsy by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • When the Boys Ran the House by Joan Davenport Carris · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of dogs, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and overlapping grades (2–8).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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