These books have been recommended by a variety of experienced providers and support personnel, and may be helpful for children of various ages. We recommend that parent(s) or other caregivers read the book beforehand to make sure it is a good fit for your particular child and situation.
Books About Grief and Loss:
- Always and Forever (Allen Durant)
- Always My Twin (Valerie R. Samuels, Najah Clemmons)
- Badger’s Parting Gifts (Susan Varley)
- Being Sad When Someone Dies: A Book About Grief (Linus Mundy, Anne Fitzgerald)
- Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson)
- Children Grieve Too (Joy Johnson, Marvin Johnson)
- Dancing on the Moon (Janice Roper)
- Ethan’s Butterflies: A Spiritual Book for Parents and Young Children After a Baby’s Passing (Cristine Jonas-Simpson, Karin Friis)
- Fire in My Heart, Ice in My Veins: A Journal for Teenagers Experiencing a Loss (Enid Samuel Traisman)
- Forever Connected (Jessica Correnti, Cate Maskell)
- Gentle Willow: A Story for Children About Dying (Joyce C. Mills)
- Goodbye Sister: A Sibling’s Book for Infant Loss (Kimberly Newton)
- Grief is Like a Snowflake (Julia Cook)
- Healing a Child’s Grieving Heart (Allen Wolfelt)
- Help Me Say Goodbye (Janis Silverman)
- How I Feel: A Coloring Book for Grieving Children (Allen Wolfelt)
- I Am Still a Big Brother (Ella Mody)
- Ida, Always (Caron Levis)
- I Miss You: A First Look at Death (Pat Thomas)
- I’ll Always Love You (Hans Wilhelm)
- In Loving Memory: A Child’s Journey to Understanding a Funeral and Starting the Grieving Process (Lacie Brueckner, Katherine Pendergast, Kat Socks)
- Life is Like the Wind (Shona Innes, Irisz Agocs)
- Lifetimes, a Beautiful Way to Explain Death (Bryan Mellonie, Robert Ingpen)
- Love Never Stops (Emilio Parga)
- My Yellow Balloon (Tiffany Papageorge, Erwin Madrid)
- No New Baby (Marilyn Gryte)
- Perfectly Imperfect Family (Amie Lands, Natia Gogiashvili)
- Remember the Secret (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross)
- Sad Isn’t Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss (Michaelene Mundy)
- Something Happened: A Book for Children and Parents Who Have Experienced Pregnancy Loss (Cathy Blanford)
- Stacy Had a Little Sister (Wendie Old)
- Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You Love (Earl A. Grollman)
- Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss (Pat Schwiebert)
- The Dead Bird (Margaret Wise Brown, Christian Robinson)
- The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages (Leo Buscaglia)
- The Goodbye Book (Todd Parr)
- The Invisible String (Patrice Karst)
- There Was a Baby: A Book for Siblings After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Death (Laura Camerona)
- The Memory Box: A Book About Grief (Joanna Rowland)
- This Book is for All Kids, but Especially My Sister Libby. Libby Died. (Jack Simon)
- Tough Boris (Mem Foxx)
- Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children (Doris Stickney, Gloria Claudia Ortiz)
- What Happens When a Loved One Dies? Our First Talk About Death (Jillian Roberts and Cindy Revell)
- When Dinosaurs Die (Laurie Krasny Brown, Marc Brown)
- When Something Terrible Happens: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief (Marge Heegaard)
- When Someone Very Special Dies: Child Can Learn to Cope with Grief (Drawing Out Feelings; Marge Heegaard)
- Where’s Jess? For Children Who Have a Brother or Sister Die (Marvin Johnson)
- 35 Ways to Help a Grieving Child (Dougy Center Staff)
Books About Feelings and Emotions:
- The Feelings Book (Todd Parr)
- My Many Colored Days (Dr. Seuss)
- What Am I Feeling? (Josh Straub and Chrisi Straub)
- In My Heart: A Book of Feelings (Jo Witek and Christine Roussey)
Other Resources:
- Arkansas Children’s Center for Good Mourning
- https://www.methodistfamily.org/kaleidoscope-grief-center/
- Free book to help explain the loss of a baby: https://www.specialdeliverybook.org/
- Refer a bereaved sibling for a special gift: https://www.charliesguys.org/