Books like Sam & Dave Dig a Hole

If you liked Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, read Let's Do Nothing, Skippyjon Jones, 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 Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett (Humor · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of imagination, humorous stories, and holes. 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 Sam & Dave Dig a Hole

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Why each is a match

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Let's Do Nothinggrades K–3
Shares themes of humorous stories and boys, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Skippyjon Jonesgrades K–3
Shares themes of imagination and humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissorsgrades 2–8
Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates!grades K–3
Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Breathgrades 2–8
Shares themes of humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Humor). Amazon → books like this →
A Lion is a Liongrades K–0
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–0). Amazon → books like this →
Crash, Splash, or Moo!grades K–3
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Escargotgrades K–2
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Even Monsters Need Haircutsgrades K–3
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the School Busgrades 3–5
Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Sam & Dave Dig a Hole for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • The Monkey Goes Bananas by C. P. Bloom · grades K–3 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • This is My Book by Mark Pett · grades K–3 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman · grades K–3 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Buz by Richard Egielski · grades K–3 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Sam & Dave Dig a Hole 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 humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Humor).
  • The Monkey Goes Bananas by C. P. Bloom · grades K–3 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • This is My Book by Mark Pett · grades K–3 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Banana Twist by Florence Parry Heide · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories and same genre (Humor).

Books like Sam & Dave Dig a Hole 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 humorous stories, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Humor).
  • Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of humorous stories, same genre (Humor), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Banana Twist by Florence Parry Heide · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories and same genre (Humor).
  • Double Fudge by Judy Blume · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories and same genre (Humor).
  • My Horrible Secret by Stephen Roos · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of humorous stories and same genre (Humor).

Books like Sam & Dave Dig a Hole for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of humorous stories and same genre (Humor).
  • A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Humor).
  • All We Have Left by Wendy Mills · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and the same era (2010s).
  • Cinder by Marissa Meyer · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and the same era (2010s).
  • Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Sam & Dave Dig a Hole?
The 10 closest matches to Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett on ReadingList include Let's Do Nothing, Skippyjon Jones, The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates!, and Dog Breath. Each is scored on shared themes (imagination, humorous stories, and holes), 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 Sam & Dave Dig a Hole 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.

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