There are few things in life more
difficult than explaining death to a child, and all too
frequently this task falls on a family member already
struggling with their own grief. The following list
contains books which can be of benefit during this
difficult time by helping to explain the impossible and
help make grief more bearable. As with any difficult
subject matter, please check over the list carefully and
select the books which reflect most closely your family
beliefs and values. This
section is divided by subject matter to help you select
the proper category:
Death of a
Parent:
Mother
Father
Both Parents
Death of a
Grandparent:
Grandmother
Grandfather
Death of a
Sibling:
Baby Brother
Baby Sister
Brother
Sister
Twin Brother
Death of a Friend
Death of a Teacher
Death
of a Pet
For The Parent
DEATH
OF A MOTHER
Fiction for
children:
Adler |
Carlys
Buck |
Bohlmeijer |
Something
Very Sorry |
Cleaver |
Grover |
DeClements |
The
Fourth Grade Wizards |
DeVinck |
Augusta
& Trab |
Farmer |
Thicker
than Water |
Griffiths |
Rafas
Dog |
Holland |
Of Love
& Death & Other Journeys |
Kaplan |
The
Empty Chair |
Leonard |
Saving
Damaris |
Mann |
There
are Two Kinds of Terrible |
Passey |
Speak
to the Rain |
Phipson |
A Tide
Flowing |
Stolz |
The
Edge of Next Year |
Wilson |
Robin
on His Own |
For the
older child:
Brooks |
Two
Moons in August: A Novel |
Conly |
Crazy
Lady! |
Halvorson |
Cowboys
Dont Cry |
Hirsch |
Ellen
Anders On Her Own |
Lehne |
Coyote
Girl |
ONeal |
A
Formal Feeling: A Novel |
Porte |
Something
Terrible Happened: A Novel |
DEATH OF A FATHER
Fiction for
children:
Clifton |
Everett
Andersons Goodbye |
Cleaver |
A
Little Destiny |
DeFelice |
Devils
Bridge |
Hunter |
A Sound
of Chariots |
Hurwitz |
Ozzie
On His Own |
Little |
Mamas
Going to Buy You a Mockingbird |
Patterson |
Flip-Flop
Girl |
Polikoff |
Lifes
a Funny Proposition, Horatio |
Strete |
The
World in Grandfathers Hands |
Wallace-Brodeur |
The
Kenton Year |
For the
older child:
Asher |
Missing
Pieces |
Baird |
Walk
Out a Brother |
Blume |
Tiger
Eyes |
Christiansen |
A Small
Pleasure |
Colman |
Sometimes
I Dont Love My Mother |
Grove |
The
Crystal Garden |
Maguire |
Oasis |
Martin |
With
You & Without You |
Pfeffer |
Sybil
at Sixteen |
Roberts |
Secrets
at Hidden Valley |
Thesman |
Nothing
Grows Here |
DEATH OF BOTH PARENTS
Fiction book for
children:
For the
older child:
Brenner |
A
Killing Season |
Mazer |
When
the Phone Rang |
Tolan |
Whos
There? |
DEATH OF A GRANDMOTHER
Picture books for
children:
Anderson |
The Key
Into Winter |
Caseley |
When
Grandpa Came to Stay |
Hathorn |
Grandmas
Shoes |
Hoopes |
Nana |
London |
Liplaps
Wish |
Nodar |
Abuelitas
Promise |
Whelan |
Bringing
the Farmhouse Home |
Fiction for
children:
Clifford |
The
Remembering Box |
Coutant |
First
Snow |
Holl |
The
Rose Beyond the Wall |
Miles |
Annie
& The Old One |
Slepian |
The
Broccoli Tapes |
Sorenson |
The
Secret Letters of Mama Cat |
Willner-Pardo |
Hunting
Grandmas Treasures |
For the
older child:
Bacon |
Shadow
& Light |
Murphy |
Gold
Star Sister |
DEATH OF A GRANDFATHER
Picture books for
children:
Cazet |
Christmas
Moon |
Engel |
Eleanor,
Arthur, & Claire |
Fox |
Sophie |
Yolen |
Grandad
Bills Song |
Zolotow |
My
Grandson Lew |
Fiction for
children:
Brooks |
Everywhere |
Brooks |
A
Blossom Promise |
Donnelly |
So
Long, Grandpa |
Forward |
Traveling
Backward |
Jukes |
Blackberries
in the Dark |
LEngle |
A Ring
of Endless Light |
For the
older child:
DEATH OF A
SIBLING
Baby Brother
Fiction for
children:
For the
older child:
Pershall |
You
Take the High Road |
Baby Sister
Fiction for
children:
Brother
Fiction for
children:
Alexander |
Nadia
the Willful |
Fletcher |
Fig
Pudding |
Killien |
Arties
Brief: The Whole Truth & Nothing But |
Laird |
Loving
Ben |
Lorentzen |
Lanky
Longlegs |
Marino |
Eight-eight
Steps to September |
Osborne |
Run,
Run, as Fast as You Can |
For the
older child:
Cameron |
Beyond
Silence |
Naughton |
My
Brother Stealing Second |
Park |
Mick
Harte Was Here |
Russell |
Last
Left Standing |
Sister
Fiction for
children:
Greene |
Beat
the Turtle Drum |
Lee |
The
Magic Moth |
Lowry |
A
Summer to Die |
McCord |
Turkeylegs
Thompson |
Twin Brother
Fiction for
children:
Carner |
Tawny |
Little |
Home
From Far |
DEATH OF A FRIEND
Fiction for
children:
Barford |
Let Me
Hear the Music |
Martin |
Mary
Anne & the Memory Garden |
Paterson |
Bridge
to Terabithia |
Rock |
The
Thanksgiving Treasure |
Smith |
A Taste
of Blackberries |
Wangerin |
Potter,
Come Fly to the First of the Earth |
White |
Charlottes
Web |
For the
older child:
Chambers |
Dance
on My Grave: A Life & a Death in Four Parts |
Hesse |
Phoenix
Rising |
Hill |
See ya,
Simon |
Oughton |
Music
From a Place Called Half Moon |
Peck |
Close
Enough to Touch |
Randall |
All The
Sky Together |
DEATH OF A TEACHER
Zindel |
A
Begonia for Miss Applebaum |
DEATH OF A PET
Fiction for
children:
Carrick |
The
Accident |
Cohen |
Jims
Dog Muffins |
Dabcovich |
Mrs.
Huggins & Her Hen Hannah |
Ehrlich |
Maggie
& Silky & Joe |
Gackenbach |
Do You
Love Me? |
Graeber |
Mustard |
Howard |
Murphy
& Kat |
Hurd |
The
Black Dog Who Went Into the Woods |
Lyon |
Adas
Pal |
Orgel |
Whiskers,
Once & Always |
Tobias |
Petey |
Viorst |
The
Tenth Good Thing About Barney |
Wallace-Brodeur |
Goodbye
Mitch |
Wild |
Toby |
Zolotow |
The
Old Dog |
FOR THE PARENT
Goldman |
Life
and Loss: A Guide To Help Grieving Children |
Jewett-Jarrett |
Helping
Children Cope with Separation and Loss |
LeShan |
When a
Parent is Very Sick |
Fry |
Part Of
Me Died, Too: Stories of Survival Among Bereaved
Children & Teenagers |
Fry |
The
Kids Book About Death & Dying |
Krementz |
How it
Feels When a Parent Dies |
Mellonie |
Lifetimes:
A Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children |
Prestine |
Helping
Children Cope with Death: A Practical Resource
Guide for Someone Special Died (book follows) |
Prestine |
Someone
Special Died |
Richter |
Losing
Someone You Love: When a Brother or Sister Dies |
Rogers |
When a
Pet Dies |
Schaefer |
How do
We Tell the Children? A Parents Guide to
Helping Children Understand & Cope When
Someone Dies |
Stein |
About
Dying: An Open Family Book for Parents &
Children |
Weitzman |
Lets
Talk About When A Parent Dies |
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