Kids and Families

Death and Dying

Picture Books

You Hold Me and I’ll Hold You by Jo Carson 
When a great-aunt dies, a young child finds comfort in being held and in holding, too.

Up in Heaven by Emma Chichester Clark
Arthur’s dog Daisy dies and goes to dog heaven. Arthur learns to deal with his loss. 

Eleanor, Arthur and Claire by Diana Engel
Claire, a young mouse, loves spending her summers with her grandparents, and although she finds things changed after her grandfather's death she and her grandmother find the strength to go on without him.

Sophie by Mem Fox
As Sophie grows bigger and her grandfather gets smaller, they continue to love each other very much. 

Alfie and the Birthday Surprise by Shirley Hughes
The death of Bob's cat prompts his friends and family to give him a surprise birthday party and a very special present.

Helen the Fish by Virginia L. Kroll
When six-year-old Hannah's beloved goldfish dies after a relatively long life, she seeks comfort from her older brother Seth.

Abuelita’s Paradise by Carmen Santiago Nodar
Although her grandmother has died, Marita sits in Abuelita's rocking chair and remembers the stories Abuelita told of life in Puerto Rico.

Jasper’s Day by Marjorie Blain Parker
With the knowledge that their dog Jasper must be euthanized, a
family takes a final day to celebrate Jasper’s life.

My Grandfather’s Hat by Melanie Scheller
A boy recalls his special relationship with his grandfather by playing with his grandfather's old hat.

Fiction

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.

Unbroken by Jessie Haas 
Following her mother's death in the early 1900s, thirteen-year-old Harry lives on Aunt Sarah's farm where an accident with her spirited colt leaves her a changed young woman. 

Sun and Spoon by Kevin Henkes 
After the death of his grandmother, ten-year-old Spoon observes the changes in his grandfather and tries to find the perfect artifact to preserve his memories of her. 

Daddy’s Chair by Sandy Lanton
When Michael's father dies his family sits shiva, observing the Jewish week of mourning, and remembers the good things about him.

Earthshine by Theresa Nelson
Slim watches over her father, a disarmingly charismatic man, as his struggle with AIDS reaches its climax.

Stacy Had a Little Sister by Wendie C. Old
Stacy has mixed feelings about her new sister Ashley, but when the baby dies of sudden infant death syndrome, Stacy is sad and misses her. 

Flip-Flop Girl by Katherine Paterson
Uprooted following the death of their father, nine-year-old Vinnie and her five-year-old brother, Mason, cope in different ways--one in silence--but both with the help of Lupe, the flip-flop girl.

Blue Eyes Better by Ruth Wallace-Brodeur
When her older brother is killed in an accident, ten-year-old Tessa and her parents find it difficult to overcome their grief and return to living normally.

The Friends by Kazumi Yumoto
Curious about death, three sixth-grade boys decide to spy on an old man waiting for him to die, but they end up becoming his friends.

Nonfiction

Good Answers to Tough Questions About Death by Joy Wilt Berry
A broad ranging book to help children understand the many issues surrounding death.

Part of Me Died Too by Virginia Fry
A bereavement counselor offers true stories to help children learn about the healing process after the death of a loved one.

No New Baby by Marilyn Gryte
A book for children who have a sibling die before birth.

Where’s Jess? by Joy Johnson
A book for children who have a sibling that dies.

DeShawn Days by Tony Medina 
10-year-old Deshawn deals with the death of his grandmother.

Eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac 
An Alaskan wolf and an African boy, meeting at a zoo in "The Other World," read in one another's eye the hardships each has faced, and their understanding helps to bring healing to them both.

When a Pet Dies by Fred Rogers
Explores the feelings of frustration, sadness, and loneliness that a youngster may feel when a pet dies.

Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children by Doris Stickney
A book that helps answer many of the questions young children have about death.

I Found a Dead Bird: The Kid’s Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death by Jan Thornhill
The death of a bird is just the start of this book dealing with the life cycle. 

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
In a series of poems, eleven-year-old Lonnie writes about his life, after the death of his parents, separated from his younger sister, living in a foster home, and finding his poetic voice at school.

 

---