What books are similar to The Sign Painter?

The 10 closest matches to The Sign Painter by Allen Say on ReadingList include Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, Grandfather's Journey, Poppleton in Winter, Albert, and Alligator Sue. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Sign Painter reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–3), 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.

Books like The Sign Painter

If you liked The Sign Painter, read Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, Grandfather's Journey, or Poppleton in Winter — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Sign Painter by Allen Say (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–3)? 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 2–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Cowgirl Kate and Cocoagrades 2–3: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Grandfather's Journeygrades K–5: Is by Allen Say, the same author and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Poppleton in Wintergrades 2–3: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Albertgrades 3–5: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Alligator Suegrades 3–5: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Amos & Borisgrades 2–3: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–3). Amazon → books like this →
Avalon Highgrades 3–5: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Call Me Hopegrades 3–5: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Dragon Ridergrades 3–8: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Henry's Freedom Boxgrades 3–6: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Sign Painter for younger readers (K–2)

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

A Boy, a Dog and a Frog by Mercer Mayer · grades K–1 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman · grades K–1 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodes by O'Malley, Kevin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2000s).
Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik · grades K–1 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Sign Painter for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Boy at War by Harry Mazer · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell · 890L — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodes by O'Malley, Kevin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2000s).

Books like The Sign Painter for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Boy at War by Harry Mazer · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell · 890L — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).

Books like The Sign Painter for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev · grades 9–10 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri · grades 11–12 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner · grades 11–12 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky · grades 11–12 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Sign Painter?: The 10 closest matches to The Sign Painter by Allen Say on ReadingList include Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, Grandfather's Journey, Poppleton in Winter, Albert, and Alligator Sue. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Sign Painter reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–3), 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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