Bereavement and Grief for Young Readers

Updated November 20, 2023
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When dinosaurs die : a guide to understanding death
Brown, Laurene Krasny.
Paper Book
For over 25 years, families have used When Dinosaurs Die to explain death, dying, and coping with grief and loss -- from the creators of the beloved Dino Tales: Life Guide for Families series, which has sold over 1.5 million copies. Straightforward and comprehensive, this...
Fluffy and the stars
Redvers, Tunchai
Paper Book
This heartfelt imagining of what happens when a beloved pet dies offers children a caring introduction to the emotions of grief and loss, from a perspective of love and healing. Shay and their dog Fluffy are best friends. Through the years they are each other's source of comfort and...
Goodbye : a first conversation about grief
Madison, Megan
Paper Book
A picture book edition of the board book about grief, offering adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way. Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic...
What happens when a loved one dies? : our first talk about death
Roberts, Jillian
Paper Book
Whether children are experiencing grief and loss for the first time or simply curious, it can be difficult to know how to talk to them about death. Using questions posed in a child's voice and answers that start simply and become more in-depth, this book allows adults to guide the...
The goodbye book
Parr, Todd
Paper Book
From bestselling author Todd Parr, a poignant and reassuring story about loss. Through the lens of a pet fish who has lost his companion, Todd Parr tells a moving and wholly accessible story about saying goodbye. Touching upon the host of emotions children experience, Todd reminds...
Saturdays are for Stella
Wellins, Candy
Paper Book
George loves Saturdays. That's because Saturdays mean time with Grandma Stella. The two of them love going on adventures downtown to visit the dinosaur museum and ride on the carousel! Even when they stay in, George and Stella have fun together, making cinnamon rolls without popping open a tube and...
Why do things die?
Daynes, Katie
Paper Book
Animal characters carefully explore and answer difficult questions about death. A beautiful and gentle look at the circle of life, using Christine Pym's gorgeous animal characters to explore the emotions and facts around death, with questions such as Is it ok to talk about dying? What...
What does grief feel like?
Leigh, Korie
Paper Book
Help young children explore the ways people experience grief when someone dies. Gentle and reassuring, What Does Grief Feel Like? shares the many ways people can grieve when a loved one dies and validates children's unique grief experiences. Open-ended...
The immortal jellyfish
Miao, Sang
Paper Book
Where do we go when we die? Use this vibrantly illustrated story to guide your kids through the grieving process, with the help of a jellyfish that eternally regenerates and a young boy missing his grandfather. When a young boy's grandfather dies suddenly, he feels overwhelmed...
Missing Violet
Swemba, Kelly
Paper Book
Life is full of sunshine for inseparable friends Violet and Mia. Until one day, Violet leaves school sick and doesn't get better. Without her best friend, Mia slips into a gloomy existence. As she moves through the stages of grief like the colors of a rainbow, Mia wonders if she will ever feel...
All from a walnut
Paquette, Ammi-Joan
Paper Book
When Emilia finds a walnut one morning, Grandpa tells her the story behind it: of his journey across the ocean to a new home, with only one small bag and a nut in his pocket. "I planted my little tree in good brown soil, so it would grow strong here forever." "In this house?...
Remembering Ethan
Newman, Lesléa
Paper Book
One of Bank Street's 2021 Best Children's Books of the Year Ethan. Ethan. Ethan. Sarah misses her adored big brother with all her heart. She wants to celebrate all the fun times she and her parents spent with him. But ever since Ethan died, Mommy and Daddy won't mention...
One wave at a time : a story about grief and healing
Thompson, Holly
Paper Book
After his father dies, Kai experiences all kinds of emotions: sadness, anger, fear, guilt. Sometimes they crash and mix together. Other times, there are no emotions at all--just flatness. As Kai and his family adjust to life without Dad, the waves still roll in. But with the help of friends...
The grief rock : a book to understand grief and love
Daniels, Natasha
Paper Book
When someone you love dies, the grief rock shows up Sometimes grief can feel like a heavy weight you are carrying around. It can be difficult to explain how you feel or know how you will cope carrying the grief rock around. This gentle story explores how grief is...
Always sisters : a story of loss and love
Mir, Saira
Paper Book
This much-needed picture book about navigating the difficult experience of pregnancy loss meets young readers at their level to offer a tender look at grieving someone who never entered the world. Raya can't wait for her baby sister to arrive. She's already got a name--Nura--and...
A sky of diamonds : a story for children about loss, grief and hope
Gibbs, Camille.
Paper Book
When Mia learns that her mother has died, all the colour in her world changes to a dreary grey. She feels guilty, angry, sad and lost (sometimes all at once!), and she doesn't know what to do to feel better. Little by little, with the help of her Dad, Mia learns how to cope with her difficult...
The memory string
Bunting, Eve
Paper Book
Each button on Laura's memory string represents a piece of her family history. The buttons Laura cherishes the most belonged to her mother--a button from her prom dress, a white one off her wedding dress, and a single small button from the nightgown she was wearing on the day she died. When the...

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