A Ball for Daisy
A wordless story about a dog's lost ball. The emotional weight is carried entirely through brushstrokes, including a poignant sequence of empty white pages that capture the feeling of loss before a quiet recovery.
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka is wordless, so its read-together time varies with how long you spend narrating and looking at each picture. It lands best with children aged 2-5.
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- Estimated read-aloud time
- time variesEstimated read-aloud time
- Word count
- 0Counted words
- Sentences per page
- 0Sentences per page
- Re-read tolerance
- 4/5repeat friendly
- Vocabulary level
- 1/5plain words
- Best for
- Ages 2-5Our editorial fit
Our review
This book is remarkably effective at communicating complex feelings like grief and relief to a two-year-old without a single word. It allows the child to experience the rhythm of an emotion through the art.
Because it is wordless, it is best used when you can sit still with the book. It’s a book meant to be savored, rather than rushed through.
Before you buy it
This is a wordless story, so there is nothing to read aloud. Don't rush through the two flat spreads following the ball's burst; those moments are meant for quiet contemplation.
Themes
- wordless
- dogs
- loss
- recovery
- toys
Books like A Ball for Daisy
Matched by refrain, density, length, and listener—not just the subject.
Questions parents ask
How long does it take to read A Ball for Daisy aloud?
This is a wordless book, so there is no honest fixed duration. Its read-together time depends on how much of the visual story you and the child narrate, notice and discuss.
What age is A Ball for Daisy actually for?
Ages 2-5 in our testing, which is narrower than the publisher's range. With 0 sentences a page and vocabulary at 1 out of 5, it asks for that much attention span and no more.
Does A Ball for Daisy survive being read on repeat?
Yes. It survives a fortnight of nightly repeats, which is the real test.
Is A Ball for Daisy a good book for a child who will not sit still?
It helps that it asks the child questions to answer out loud. Those three features are what keep a wriggling toddler listening, far more than the subject matter does.
Will my child memorise A Ball for Daisy?
It can. It scores 4 out of 5 with us for holding up to repeat reading, and children tend to learn by heart the books they ask for most, even without a strong refrain.
Can a beginning reader read A Ball for Daisy on their own?
It is closer than most picture books. With 0 sentences a page and plain vocabulary (1 out of 5), a confident early reader can attempt it, though it is written to be read aloud first.
What themes does A Ball for Daisy cover?
We tag it with wordless, dogs, loss, recovery and toys. Those are the threads that actually run through the book, not just the ones on the cover, which is how it earns its place on our themed lists rather than a keyword match.
Lists A Ball for Daisy is on
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