Books like Two bad Ants
If you liked Two bad Ants, read Guji Guji, The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, or Peabody — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.
Looking for books like Two bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg (Realistic Fiction · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of ants, picture books for children, and picture books. 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 Two bad Ants
Guji GujiChen, Zhiyuan
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the SchoolLaura Murray
PeabodyRosemary Wells
A Boy, a Dog and a FrogMercer Mayer
ChalkBill Thomson
Dress CodedCarrie Firestone
JumanjiChris Van Allsburg
My Friend the VampireAngela Sommer-Bodenburg
Scaredy SquirrelMelanie Watt
The Great White Man-Eating SharkMargaret Mahy
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Why each is a match
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- Guji Gujigrades K–3
- Shares themes of picture books, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- The Gingerbread Man Loose in the Schoolgrades K–3
- Shares themes of picture books for children, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Peabodygrades K–3
- Shares themes of picture books, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- A Boy, a Dog and a Froggrades K–1
- Shares themes of picture books, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–1). Amazon → books like this →
- Chalkgrades K–2
- Shares themes of picture books, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
- Dress Codedgrades 3–5
- Shares themes of new york times reviewed, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- Jumanjigrades K–3
- Is by Chris Van Allsburg, the same author, overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
- My Friend the Vampiregrades 3–5
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- Scaredy Squirrelgrades K–3
- Shares themes of picture books for children, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- The Great White Man-Eating Sharkgrades K–3
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Books like Two bad Ants for younger readers (K–2)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.
- Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
- Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
- Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
- Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
- Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Books like Two bad Ants for elementary readers (grades 3–5)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.
- Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
- Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of new york times reviewed and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look · grades 3–5 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
- Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
- Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Books like Two bad Ants for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
- Ghost in My Soup by Judi Miller · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
- Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of new york times reviewed and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
- Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- Breakout by Kate Messner · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Books like Two bad Ants for high school & teens (grades 9–12)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.
- Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
- Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
- The Face at the Edge of the World by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
- A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul by Jack Canfield · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Common questions
- What books are similar to Two bad Ants?
- The 10 closest matches to Two bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg on ReadingList include Guji Guji, The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, Peabody, A Boy, a Dog and a Frog, and Chalk. Each is scored on shared themes (ants, picture books for children, and picture books), 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 Two bad Ants 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.