Books like Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!
If you liked Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!, read Basket, Don't Need Friends, or Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Closest match: Basket by George Ella Lyon
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Looking for books like Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! by David McPhail (Realistic Fiction · grades K–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 K–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!
BasketGeorge Ella Lyon
Don't Need FriendsCarolyn Crimi
Lilly's Purple Plastic PurseKevin Henkes
The Cow Who Wouldn't Come DownPaul Brett Johnson
ChalkBill Thomson
Chez BobBob Shea
DogkuAndrew Clements
HoodwinkedArthur Howard
Hooway for Wodney WatHelen Lester
Hungry HenRichard Waring
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Why each is a match
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- Basketgrades K–3
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- Don't Need Friendsgrades K–2
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
- Lilly's Purple Plastic Pursegrades K–3
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Downgrades K–3
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- Chalkgrades K–2
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
- Chez Bobgrades K–2
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
- Dogkugrades K–2
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
- Hoodwinkedgrades K–2
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
- Hooway for Wodney Watgrades K–3
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
- Hungry Hengrades K–2
- Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →
Books like Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! for elementary readers (grades 3–5)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.
- Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak by Jeffrey Moss · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
- Christopher Changes His Name by Itah Sadu · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
- The Hero of Bremen by Margaret Hodges · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Books like Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak by Jeffrey Moss · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
- Christopher Changes His Name by Itah Sadu · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
- The Hero of Bremen by Margaret Hodges · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Common questions
- What books are similar to Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore!?
- The 10 closest matches to Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! by David McPhail on ReadingList include Basket, Don't Need Friends, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down, and Chalk. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore! 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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