Calico Rag by Lee B. Grabbe is a representative example of American ragtime-influenced parlor music. It relies on steady rhythmic drive and light-hearted syncopated themes.
Ensure the left-hand accompaniment remains steady and light to contrast with the syncopated melodic line in the right hand.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Calico Rag is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 3.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of Calico Rag lasts about 3 minutes.
Calico Rag is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Beija-flor, IEN 4 by Ernesto Nazareth, Beija-flor by Ernesto Nazareth, Cardosina by Ernesto Nazareth — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.