Reading children’s books during a time when your child is grieving can bring comfort to them and help give adults ways to talk about grief in new ways. Below are a few of our recommendations of books to read when a child is grieving. Learning how a child understands death through their developmental levels can help guide a conversation.
A gentle story of connection and loss finds a promise in memories after a young child loses her constant companion.
For Grades Pre-Kindergarten-2
When Jim’s dog is killed, the other first graders experience with him his natural reactions to death.
For Grades Pre-Kindergarten-2
A pet fish who has lost his companion imparts a gentle, age-appropriate message about saying goodbye while touching on the emotions commonly experienced by children in the face of loss.
For Grades Pre-Kindergarten-2
When Old Turtle dies and is taken back by the sea, his friends remember that he was a wonderful teacher and friend who made the world a better place.
For Grades Pre-Kindergarten-2
When Liza and Jeremy run to their mother during a scary storm, she comforts them by telling them about the Invisible String, which connects people who love each other no matter where they are and means that they are never alone.
For Grades 1-2
A boy grieves for his dead pet Mousie, helps to bury him, and begins to come to terms with his loss.
For Grades Pre-Kindergarten-2
After losing the person in his life he loves more than anything, a young child holds onto a cape as a source of comfort and strength as he navigates the sadness and joy of his memories.
For Grades Kindergarten-3
When a young African-American boy finds his old dog dead one morning, he spends the rest of the day thinking about all the good times they had together.
Grades Kindergarten-2
Alternating poems by a brother and sister convey their feelings about the death of their older brother and the impact it had on their family.
For Grades 3-8
After her brother Jared dies, ten-year-old Annie worries about the hidden dangers of everything, from bug bites to bicycle riding, until she is befriended by a new neighbor who is grieving her own loss.
For Grades 4-6
When her beloved pet tortoise, Rodney, dies, Bernadette feels all alone until a special friend helps her overcome her sadness, in this comforting and gently humorous picture book about bereavement and the power of friendship.
For Grades Kindergarten-3
When Arthur’s dog Daisy dies, she watches over him from heaven and eventually helps him find a new puppy.
For Grades Pre-Kindergarten-2
One day, a group of children find a bird lying on its side with its eyes closed and no heartbeat. In the park, they dig a hole for the bird and cover it with warm sweet-ferns and flowers. Finally, they sing sweet songs to send the little bird on its way.
For Grades Pre-Kindergarten-2
In a land that has stood barren, parched by drought and ravaged by frosts since the Queen’s death, the King sets his three daughters the task of making the kingdom bloom again, and discovers that sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference.
For Grades 1-3
When a family member or another loved one becomes ill, one of the scariest aspects of their sickness is the way they may change, both physically and in spirit. This book offers a helpful visualization of a sick person’s essence as a friendly creature who remains strong and warm, even as the illness progresses.
For Kindergarten
Jim and Jules are childhood friends, born on the same day in the same village. All their lives, Jim has been first — born two minutes before Jules, always faster, always stronger. When the First World War breaks out in Europe, the two young men enlist in the fight with 30,000 other Canadians.
For Grades 4-12
This blog post was created by librarians from Park City Library with help of information found in NoveList – a database which is free with your library card. NoveList is a comprehensive reading recommendation resource.