Comments on: Children’s Books About Death, Loss, and Grief

By: Melissa Taylor

Melissa Taylor — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:35:00 +0000

In reply to Erin. thanks for the additional suggestions!

By: Melissa Taylor

Melissa Taylor — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:35:00 +0000

In reply to Mary Nel. I'm so sorry - thanks for sharing.

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 03:49:00 +0000

Yes, “The Heart and the Bottle” by Oliver Jeffers is fantastic! I also recommend “Her Mother’s Face” by Roddy Doyle; and “My Father’s Arms Are a Boat” by Stein Erik Lunde. I also think that “Tap the Magic Tree” by Christie Matheson is a good option – although it isn’t specifically about death, it is a wonderful reminder of the regenerative power of life. Great list you have here – thank you for posting it.

By: Mary Nel

Mary Nel — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 05:11:00 +0000

My little boy’s dad committed suicide a year ago when he was five. A good book without an explicit message, but that encourages the idea that expressing feelings is good, even though you’re sad, is “The Heart and the Bottle” by Oliver Jeffers.

By: Melissa Taylor

Melissa Taylor — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 03:36:16 +0000

In reply to Kathy Reschke. thanks, Kathy!

By: Kathy Reschke

Kathy Reschke — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:03:00 +0000

In reply to Kathy Reschke.

You and your readers might also be interested in the National Alliance for Grieving Children. Lots of helpful info, resources there. Here’s their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/NAGCnews

By: Rue

Rue — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:48:00 +0000

Loss takes many forms. Death is a final parting, but a family separated through illness or divorce, or lack of reconciliation is a lingering on-going grief.

By: Kathy Reschke

Kathy Reschke — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:16:00 +0000

Thanks for sharing your “finds,” Melissa! Books can be a powerful way of supporting young children who are dealing with the difficult, confusing experience of death or other loss.

For those who are specifically looking for children’s books for young kids from military families, I’ve put together a list that includes many books to help kids deal with being separated from their parent during deployment. I also found a few that deal with the death of a parent. (I also made a PDF doc out of it, for easy printing and sharing.) I’ll definitely be adding some of these to the list! Here’s the link: http://www.extension.org/pages/64821/childrens-books-for-young-children-in-military-families
I would also encourage everyone to share these lists with child care providers, Sunday School teachers, etc. They’re ALWAYS looking for high quality children’s books that deal with difficult emotions or circumstances.