Love Sounds Like
Hannah Jessen Conway
Love Sounds Like
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Children's Bedtime Book About Hearing Loss and the Different Ways Kids Experience Love
by Hannah Jessen Conway
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.
We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.
About This Book
Have you ever wondered what love really sounds like? Shepherd, a curious boy with cochlear implants, and his mom explore the many ways love can be felt and shared before bedtime. But can they capture the true sound of love together?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This gentle children's book follows Shepherd, a deaf boy with cochlear implants, and his mother as they imagine the sensory experiences of love. Suitable for early readers ages 5-8, it celebrates family bonds and sensory diversity with warmth and inclusivity.
Why we rated Love Sounds Like 7LE
Love Sounds Like 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, Love Sounds Like works for readers up to grade 4.0.
We rate Love Sounds Like as 7LE ("Light — Emotional") 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, Love Sounds Like explores family, disability representation, sensory experience, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, disability representation, sensory experience.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
7LE — Light — EmotionalNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
Similar Books
Based on content and theme analysis
Sound
Grace Hansen
Sound
Grace Hansen
The sound of hope
Lois Kam Heymann
The sound of hope
Lois Kam Heymann
Sound
Kathleen Connors
Sound
Kathleen Connors
Sounds
Alvin Granowsky
Sounds
Alvin Granowsky
Sound
Jack Challoner
Sound
Jack Challoner
Sound (Word for Word/Audio Cassette)
Romana Romanyshyn, Andriy Lesiv
Sound (Word for Word/Audio Cassette)
Romana Romanyshyn, Andriy Lesiv
Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9798991223614
- Pages
- 32
- Publisher
- HJC Publishing, L.L.C.
- Published
- 2024
- Type
- Fiction