What grade level is Heart and Soul?

Heart and Soul is listed for grades K–5. It appears on 2 book-award lists, from kindergarten to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.

How long does it take to read Heart and Soul?

It takes about 1h 45m to read Heart and Soul (96 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 105 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.

What curricula assign Heart and Soul?

Heart and Soul appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Is Heart and Soul banned in schools?

Heart and Soul does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.

Heart and Soul

Name: Heart and Soul
Availability: InStock
Author: Kadir Nelson
ISBN: 9781484417560

by Kadir Nelson · Grades K–5 · Picture Book

Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson is on US reading lists at grades k–5. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades K–5 · 96 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781484417560). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Coretta Scott King Author Award

This page shows where Heart and Soul is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Reading level at a glance

Grade range: Grades K–5
Pages: 96
Reading time: about 1h 45m (est.)
First published: 2014
Genre: Picture Book
ISBN-13: 9781484417560

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-20; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

Good fit for kindergarten?

If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Coretta Scott King Award?

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About this book

Book facts and sources (2)

Award won: Coretta Scott King Author Award, 2012 (source: Wikipedia)
On award reading lists: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (source: Wikipedia)
Catalog record: First published 2014 · 96 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Heart and Soul→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why it is assigned

This picture book title is typically read at grades k–5. Written in the 2010s; cited on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is Heart and Soul?: Heart and Soul is listed for grades K–5. It appears on 2 book-award lists, from kindergarten to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Heart and Soul?: It takes about 1h 45m to read Heart and Soul (96 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 105 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Heart and Soul?: Heart and Soul appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Heart and Soul banned in schools?: Heart and Soul does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure: Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band: Grades K–5 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment: Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence: Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records: No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags: Tagged for: award-winner, read-aloud.