Kicking a ball
Allan Ahlberg
Kicking a ball
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Allan Ahlberg
The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
The ball rolls fast across the grass, and a boy races after it, ready to kick it as hard as he can. Suddenly, he stops—what’s that sound coming from behind the trees? The game is just getting started!
Quick Assessment
This charming rhyming story celebrates the simple joy of kicking a ball, capturing a child's love for football with warmth and humor. Perfect for early readers aged 5-8, it highlights themes of friendship and family through playful, relatable moments. The gentle narrative and lively illustrations make it a great read-aloud choice with no content concerns.
Why we rated Kicking a ball 7C
Kicking a ball is written at a Level 2 reading level across 32 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 3.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Kicking a ball works for readers up to grade 4.0.
We rate Kicking a ball as 7C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.
Thematically, Kicking a ball explores sports, friendship, family, and humor — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, friendship, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
7C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780723293354
- Pages
- 32
- Publisher
- Puffin
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction