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

Closest match: Tacky the Penguin by Lester, Helen. — shares behavior and human behavior
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Looking for books like No David! by David Shannon (Humor · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of behavior, human behavior, and conduct of life. 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–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to No David!
Tacky the PenguinLester, Helen.
Good Boy, FergusDavid Shannon
A Bad Case of StripesDavid Shannon
BuzRichard Egielski
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad PigEugenios Trivizas
Skippyjon JonesJudith Byron Schachner
Substitute Teacher PlansJohnson, Doug
The Great Fuzz FrenzyJanet Stevens
The Monkey Goes BananasC. P. Bloom
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates!Ryan T. Higgins
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Why each is a match
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- Tacky the Penguingrades K–3
- Shares themes of behavior and human behavior, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- Good Boy, Fergusgrades K–2
- Is by David Shannon, the same author, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
- A Bad Case of Stripesgrades 2–8
- Is by David Shannon, the same author, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
- Buzgrades K–3
- Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Piggrades K–3
- Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- Skippyjon Jonesgrades K–3
- Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- Substitute Teacher Plansgrades K–3
- Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- The Great Fuzz Frenzygrades K–3
- Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- The Monkey Goes Bananasgrades K–3
- Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- We Don’t Eat Our Classmates!grades K–3
- Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
More like this
Same grade band, chosen by theme and by how many reading lists carry them. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Say What?Margaret Peterson HaddixAlso about human behavior · on 2 reading lists
Grades 2–8 · 91 pages
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Lulu's Mysterious MissionJudith ViorstAlso about behavior · on 1 reading list
Grades 2–8 · 182 pages
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Miss Nelson Is MissingHarry AllardAlso about behavior · on 1 reading list
Grades K–3 · 32 pages
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The Day the Crayons QuitDrew DaywaltAlso Humor · on 5 reading lists
Grades K–3 · 34 pages
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Dog BreathDav PilkeyAlso Humor · on 2 reading lists
Grades 2–8 · 32 pages
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Even Monsters Need HaircutsMatthew McElligottAlso Humor · on 2 reading lists
Grades K–3 · 35 pages
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Mother BruceRyan T. HigginsAlso Humor · on 2 reading lists
Grade K · 40 pages
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We Are in a BookMo WillemsAlso Humor · on 2 reading lists
Grades K–3 · 57 pages
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A Lion is a LionPolly DunbarAlso Humor · on 1 reading list
Grade K · 40 pages
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Cloudy with a Chance of MeatballsJudi BarrettAlso Humor · on 1 reading list
Grades K–3 · 32 pages
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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the BusMo WillemsAlso Humor · on 1 reading list
Grades K–2 · 40 pages
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Double Trouble in Walla WallaAndrew ClementsAlso Humor · on 1 reading list
Grades K–3
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Books like No David! for younger readers (K–2)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.
- Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott · grades K–3 — Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon →
- Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman · grades K–3 — Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1990s). Amazon →
- Copycat by Ruth Brown · grades K–3 — Shares themes of behavior and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon →
- Double Trouble in Walla Walla by Andrew Clements · grades K–3 — Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1990s). Amazon →
- Suddenly! by Colin McNaughton · grades K–3 — Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1990s). Amazon →
Books like No David! for elementary readers (grades 3–5)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.
- Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of behavior and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
- Double Fudge by Judy Blume · grades 4–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
- Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott · grades K–3 — Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon →
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson · grades 4–8 — Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
- Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman · grades K–3 — Same genre (Humor), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1990s). Amazon →
Books like No David! for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of behavior and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
- Double Fudge by Judy Blume · grades 4–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson · grades 4–8 — Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list and same genre (Humor). Amazon →
- Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of conduct of life. Amazon →
- The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Humor) and the same era (1990s). Amazon →
Common questions
- What books are similar to No David!?
- The 10 closest matches to No David! by David Shannon on ReadingList include Tacky the Penguin, Good Boy, Fergus, A Bad Case of Stripes, Buz, and The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. Each is scored on shared themes (behavior, human behavior, and conduct of life), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like No David! reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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.