94 books like No, David!

By David Shannon (illustrator),

Here are 94 books that No, David! fans have personally recommended if you like No, David!. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Wonky Donkey

Hayley Rose Author Of Gomer the Gassy Goat

From my list on to inspire a love of reading.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a chocolate loving writer, goat yoga enthusiast, and author of several successful children’s books specializing in early learning, along with an award-winning line of gratitude coloring journals. I hope to inspire a love of reading through education and laughter. My latest book, Gomer the Gassy Goat has sold over 21,000 units since 2021, and was recently referenced in The New York Times about the importance of using humor in books for kids to inspire a love of reading. “Not every book has to reach a lesson. Sometimes it can just be fun.” - Mr. Price

Hayley's book list on to inspire a love of reading

Hayley Rose Why did Hayley love this book?

I love a book that makes me laugh and The Wonky Donkey does not disappoint! Like so many others, I discovered this book from a viral video of a Scottish grandmother reading to her grandson. She couldn’t stop laughing... I knew I had to have this book! 

Bonus... expressive illustrations, repetitive sentences, and a tongue-twister, this book is educational and great for beginning readers. A must-have for any home library.

By Craig Smith, Katz Cowley (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Wonky Donkey as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

The Wonky Donkey picture book has sold over two million copies worldwide - it's the perfect gift! Who ever heard of a spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey? This hilarious book will have children - and adults - braying with laughter! Lyrical, laugh-out-loud story and beautiful illustrations Bright colours and a shiny, glossy cover 


Book cover of Creepy Carrots!

Amanda Noll Author Of I Need My Monster

From my list on humorous picture books from someone who loves funny kid books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never actually stopped reading children’s literature. Even as a grown-up, I figured out a way to read picture books every day. After earning a master’s degree in education, I found myself back in the library reading to students. I love reading funny books; they are more engaging and more likely to get kids reading and keep them reading. I love humor and think it is perfect in the shorter format of picture books. 

Amanda's book list on humorous picture books from someone who loves funny kid books

Amanda Noll Why did Amanda love this book?

I love the twists and turns of this book. It’s always a favorite when I read it to children. I read it every year around Halloween, and it holds up.

It’s also a great introduction to the series written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrator by Peter Brown. They are a fantastic team!

By Aaron Reynolds, Peter Brown (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Creepy Carrots! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

In this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book, The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch as a rabbit fears his favorite treats are out to get him.

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots-especially Crackenhopper Field carrots.
He eats them on the way to school.
He eats them going to Little League.
He eats them walking home.
Until the day the carrots start following him...or are they?
Celebrated artist Peter Brown's stylish illustrations pair perfectly with Aaron Reynold's text in this hilarious picture book that shows it's all fun and games...until you get too greedy.


Book cover of The Book with No Pictures

Omar Abed Author Of The Book That Almost Rhymed

From my list on self-aware picture books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I always felt like books were mysterious and elusive works of art. When creating them occurred to me, I started to think, “What is a book, really, and what does it mean to publish one?” This over-analysis of books makes me appreciate authors who are able to step back and see books for what they really are–pages and ink. Distilling it down to that makes writing and publishing a book feel more accessible to me.

Omar's book list on self-aware picture books

Omar Abed Why did Omar love this book?

This was the first book that made me realize how picture books could play with the traditional picture book format with resounding success.

My son loves listening to me read the silly words out loud. It’s no secret why this clever book was so successful.

By B.J. Novak,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Book with No Pictures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This innovative and wildly funny read-aloud will be the Must Have book of the season. You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except...here's how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say...BLORK. Or BLUURF. Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.


Book cover of The Monster at the End of This Book (Sesame Street)

Omar Abed Author Of The Book That Almost Rhymed

From my list on self-aware picture books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I always felt like books were mysterious and elusive works of art. When creating them occurred to me, I started to think, “What is a book, really, and what does it mean to publish one?” This over-analysis of books makes me appreciate authors who are able to step back and see books for what they really are–pages and ink. Distilling it down to that makes writing and publishing a book feel more accessible to me.

Omar's book list on self-aware picture books

Omar Abed Why did Omar love this book?

This book does such a good job of engaging the reader. I love how Grover communicates with the reader and actively tries to stop them from moving forward.

It doesn’t hurt that Grover is my favorite Sesame Street character, and his energetic voice came through in the text.

By Jon Stone, Michael Smollin (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Monster at the End of This Book (Sesame Street) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Monster at the End of This Book is a classic, adored by toddlers and adults alike. This collectible kit includes a mini book version of The Monster at the End of this Book, featuring the full text and illustrations from the original classic story, and a plush Grover backpack clip. Journey with lovable, furry old Grover to the end of the book to discover who the monster really is!

Lovable, furry old Grover is distressed to learn that there's a monster at the end of this book! He begs readers not to turn the pages, but of course kids…


Book cover of A Ball for Daisy

Mônica Carnesi Author Of Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic

From my list on picture books for dog lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a librarian and a picture book author/illustrator – it’s a perfect combination as I get to spend lots of time around books. I’m also a huge animal lover, with a special fondness for dogs. I can’t resist a picture book about dogs, and it’s no surprise that my first picture book was based on a true story about one very brave little dog. It is not easy to recommend only 5 books, but these are certainly my top favorites both in text and art. Happy reading!

Mônica's book list on picture books for dog lovers

Mônica Carnesi Why did Mônica love this book?

Meet Daisy, a bouncy puppy with a favorite red ball. One day, while playing in the park, a bigger dog bites on it and –puff! Her ball completely deflates. Daisy is crushed!  She returns home and buries herself on the sofa, totally downcast. Told in wordless panels, Daisy’s feelings are deeply felt and understood. The illustrations are amazingly expressive and perfectly capture the character’s emotional journey from playfulness to sadness. On a return visit to the park, can Daisy find a way to joy again?

By Chris Raschka,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Ball for Daisy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Winner of the 2012 Randolph Caldecott Medal

This New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Best Illustrated Book relates a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to…


Book cover of Ruby the Copycat

Tricia Tusa Author Of Is That You, Eleanor Sue?

From my list on truly unique children’s tales.

Why am I passionate about this?

I decided at the age of 5 that I wanted to write and illustrate books for children. That is exactly what I have been doing the last 40 years of my adult life. I find that I walk around seeing and hearing the world as potential stories. It’s fun! I can not imagine doing anything else for a living! I recommended the 5 books that I did because they are a little strange and curious and thought-provoking. The art, as well. Therefore, they feel like they emerged from the author/illustrator from that place within, way down deep, where only authentic expression of self can be found. 

Tricia's book list on truly unique children’s tales

Tricia Tusa Why did Tricia love this book?

Ruby is new to school as she enters Miss Hart’s class. Ruby’s desk is right behind Angela’s. Angela seems to be a self-possessed, lovely young girl and, right away, Ruby is quite taken with Angela.  She wants to be her friend. Perhaps Ruby wants to be noticed and equally admired by this potential new friend, and so she imitates Angela in every way. It gets old fast. Miss Hart handles the situation admirably well, with utmost respect and sensitivity. (I wish I had encountered more teachers like that as a kid.)  Rathmann captures kids’ innocent foibles, well. The artwork is adorable and expressive and loose. Great humor. Full of humanity. 

By Peggy Rathmann,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ruby the Copycat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Let the Scholastic Bookshelf be your guide through the whole range of your child's experiences--laugh with them, learn with them, read with them!

It's the first day of school, and Ruby is new. When her classmate Angela wears a red bow in her hair, Ruby comes back from lunch wearing a red bow, too. When Angela wears a flowered dress, suddenly Ruby's wearing one, too. Fortunately, Ruby's teacher knows a better way to help Ruby fit in--by showing how much fun it is to be herself!

Book cover of The Moon Jumpers

Lauren Stringer Author Of Yellow Time

From my list on the magic of being outside in the natural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began as a picture book illustrator and gradually started writing my own stories, but I still love illustrating other people’s stories. From their manuscripts, I learn to look at the world in new and unexpected ways. As a visual artist, I learned from a young age to pay attention and really look at the world around me. When I have days full of errands and chores and forget to look and be present, the day becomes gray and boring. All of these books in words and pictures offer nature and the act of paying attention and celebrating as transformation and connection.

Lauren's book list on the magic of being outside in the natural world

Lauren Stringer Why did Lauren love this book?

This picture book perfectly captures those moonlit summer nights when the damp grass cools your bare feet and shadows cast by moonlight make mysteries and monsters around every corner. Illustrated in both black and white and full-color spreads, children dreamily dance and jump for the moon, as if caught under a magic spell. And the spell is broken by the mother calling from the door: “Children, oh children… It’s time.” “But we’re not children,” the children cry, “… we’re the Moon Jumpers!” On long winter nights I open this book to bring back sweet memories of summer.

By Janice May Udry, Maurice Sendak (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Moon Jumpers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A lyrical story of night-time, in which four small children and a black cat find themselves enchanted with the loveliness of the hot summer night and the magic of the moon. Illustrated by the author of the acclaimed picture book classic, Where the Wild Things Are


Book cover of Sam & Dave Dig a Hole

DK Ryland Author Of Have You Seen My Acorn?

From my list on where the reader knows more than the character.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a picture book author/illustrator who writes humorous stories. One of my favorite techniques for instilling humor in my writing is for the illustrations to show the reader more than the characters’ know. It’s so much fun for kids to realize and be in on the joke before the characters in the book. I love a storytime where the kids get engaged and start pointing out what’s really happening and start talking to the characters to try to change their actions. I also love a good twist ending that makes the reader say, “How did I not see that coming?!” and these are the perfect kind of books for it. 

DK's book list on where the reader knows more than the character

DK Ryland Why did DK love this book?

Sam and Dave are digging for something spectacular and get so close to treasure that they keep deciding to change directions right when they are about to find it. I love this because, as a reader, you can see the treasure and how close Sam and Dave get.

The ending on this one is so fascinating because it’s open-ended, and that’s especially rare for a picture book. It's also a great conversation starter. 

By Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Sam & Dave Dig a Hole as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

With perfect pacing, the multiple award-winning, best-selling team of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen dig down for a deadpan tale full of visual humour.

From the award-winning team behind Extra Yarn, and illustrated by Jon Klassen, the Kate Greenaway-winning creator of This Is Not My Hat and I Want My Hat Back, comes a perfectly paced, deadpan tale full of visual humour. Sam and Dave are on a mission. A mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. And they keep digging. And they find ... nothing. Yet the day turns out to be pretty spectacular after all.…


Book cover of The Year of No Mistakes

Seth Brown Author Of The Disapproval of My Toaster

From my list on human poetry for an increasingly inhuman world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been writing poetry since second grade, although oddly it took me until after college (where I was Class Poet) to start writing poetry that *gasp* didn't rhyme. (Did I mention I grew up on Ogden Nash and Shel Silverstein?) I started attending local poetry slams and then poetry festivals like WordXWord, and listening and performing there showed me what poetry could be. Poems can crystalize in a few lines a universal truth you've felt for years but been unable to express. I think that's amazing. (I also think it's better with a dash of humor mixed in, because I'm a humor columnist and I'm biased.)

Seth's book list on human poetry for an increasingly inhuman world

Seth Brown Why did Seth love this book?

They say, “Don't judge a book by its cover,” but sometimes you can judge a book of poems a little bit by the titles if they're really good. That'd be a terrible quote, but it's still true, and some of the poem titles in this book of heartbreak are a whole journey in themselves, like “Not Doing Something Wrong Isn't the Same as Doing Something Right,” whose opening three words, “In my defense,” echo repeatedly throughout the poem and throughout my head. When it's heartbreak time, I'd suggest either listening to MC Abdominal's song “Broken” on repeat, or reading this book.

By Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Year of No Mistakes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In The Year of No Mistakes, Aptowicz goes cross country and tackles themes like love, lust, heartache and ambition in poems set in cities across the United States. While the backbone of the book is the slow break-up of her decade-long relationship, the heart remains Aptowicz falling in love with Americana. Sharply observant and unflinchingly truthful, her poems may be funny or heartbreaking, spare or lush, bright or dark, but they are always honest and engaging working class poems. Written during the fellowship year of her National Endowment for the Arts grant, poems from this collection have already been published…


Book cover of The Madness Vase

Sophie Johannis Author Of Traces

From my list on surviving trauma through the magic of imagination.

Why am I passionate about this?

My first memories are of my brother’s death. Maybe that’s why I’ve always wanted to understand the connection between memory and identity. At 17, when I was writing the very first draft of Traces, I was also bandaging my friends’ suicide attempts. I’ve volunteered as a writing tutor for refugees and autistic students, visitor on the closed ward of a psychiatric hospital, advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community (of which I am a member), and celebrant for bereavement ceremonies. As an educator, YA/NA novelist, and poet, I know that nobody can heal unless they feel safe and seen, which is why I believe so strongly in trauma-informed communication and radical acceptance.

Sophie's book list on surviving trauma through the magic of imagination

Sophie Johannis Why did Sophie love this book?

Andrea Gibson’s spoken word poems are gut-wrenching testaments to the power of vulnerability and tenderness, weaving anecdotes into fervent pleas for empathy, connection, and social justice. The magic of their pieces lies in the both/and of beauty and pain, unflinchingly facing trauma while clinging to hope. This collection’s strongest poems include “Ashes” (about a gay soldier burned to death) and “Somewhere, a Carpenter” (about the artist’s love for their grandmother). If you want to be truly spellbound, look for the recorded versions of these poems—I’ve attended two of Gibson’s live performances and had goosebumps all over and/or tears streaming down my face from start to finish.

By Andrea Gibson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Madness Vase as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

These poems’ topics range from hate crimes to playgrounds, from international conflict to hometowns, from falling in love to the desperation of loneliness. Gibson’s work seizes us by the collar and hauls us inside some of her darkest moments, then releases us out the other side.


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