Books like Good Boy, Fergus

If you liked Good Boy, Fergus, read A Bad Case of Stripes, Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, or No David! — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Good Boy, Fergus by David Shannon (Humor · grades K–2)? It’s most often read for its themes of dogs, west highland whiter terrier, and west highland white terrier. 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 Good Boy, Fergus

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Why each is a match

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A Bad Case of Stripesgrades 2–8
Is by David Shannon, the same author, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Madeline Finn and the Library Doggrades K–2
Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
No David!grades K–3
Is by David Shannon, the same author, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Widgetgrades K–3
Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Can I Be Your Dog?grades K–3
Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Breathgrades 2–8
Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Busgrades K–2
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Rhyming Dust Bunniesgrades K–2
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Riptidegrades K–3
Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
A Lion is a Liongrades K–0
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–0). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Good Boy, Fergus for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Don't Need Friends by Carolyn Crimi · grades K–2 — Shares themes of dogs, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (K–2).
  • Escargot by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–2).
  • Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–0).
  • The Lady With the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott · grades K–3 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • The Monkey Goes Bananas by C. P. Bloom · grades K–3 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Good Boy, Fergus for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Hachiko by Pamela S. Turner · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction.
  • My Dog, My Hero by Betsy Cromer Byars · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction.
  • Knocked Out by Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Humor), and the same era (2000s).
  • Ribsy by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of dogs and same genre (Humor).
  • Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction.

Books like Good Boy, Fergus for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Hachiko by Pamela S. Turner · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction.
  • Ribsy by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of dogs and same genre (Humor).
  • Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction.
  • Tornado by Betsy Cromer Byars · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs and dogs, fiction.
  • Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Good Boy, Fergus for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

  • A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Humor).
  • Impulse by Ellen Hopkins · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Looking for Alaska by John Green · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman · grades 6–9 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Good Boy, Fergus?
The 10 closest matches to Good Boy, Fergus by David Shannon on ReadingList include A Bad Case of Stripes, Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, No David!, Widget, and Can I Be Your Dog?. Each is scored on shared themes (dogs, west highland whiter terrier, and west highland white terrier), 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 Good Boy, Fergus 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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