Books like Smoky the Cowhorse
If you liked Smoky the Cowhorse, read Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon & Ghond The Hunter, Hitty Her First Hundred Years, or Shen of the Sea — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Looking for books like Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James (Biography & Autobiography · grades 3–7)? 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Smoky the Cowhorse
- Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon & Ghond The HunterDhan Gopal Mukerji
- Hitty Her First Hundred YearsRachel Field
- Shen of the SeaArthur Bowie Chrisman
- Tales from Silver LandsCharles J. Finger
- The Dark FrigateHawes C.
- The Story of MankindHendrik Willem van Loon
- The Trumpeter of KrakowEric P (Eric Philbrook) Kelly
- The Voyages of Doctor DolittleHugh Lofting
- A Gathering of DaysJoan W. Blos
A Single ShardLinda Sue Park · 920L
Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
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Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
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Why each is a match
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- Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon & Ghond The Huntergrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- Hitty Her First Hundred Yearsgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- Shen of the Seagrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- Tales from Silver Landsgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Dark Frigategrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Story of Mankindgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Trumpeter of Krakowgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Voyages of Doctor Dolittlegrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
- A Gathering of Daysgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
- A Single Shard920L
- Both on the Newbery Medal list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.