Children's books & resources for the grieving child

BOOKS

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst & Illustrated by Geoff Stevenson

A Complete Book About Death for Kids  By Earl Grollman and Joy Johnson. The first part includes information about death, dying and the feelings you have when someone you love dies. The second section includes information about burial and cremation. The third section talks about the funeral and cemetery. Beautiful photos show the child what they will really see and answers the most commonly asked questions.

Stella’s Story: Dealing with Sibling Loss   By Amanda Seefeld Markle, illustrated by Christopher Bowman
After the Markle family lost their nine-month-old baby in a car accident, they discovered that
few resources are available for young children to help them cope with sibling loss.  Amanda
Markle wrote Stella’s Story to be used as a tool to help their two-year-old daughter deal with
the loss of her baby sister. The words in this book are used by Amanda when talking to her
surviving child about baby Tabitha who watches over them and loves in their hearts.

Little Meerkat’s Big Panic: A Story About Learning New Ways to Feel Calm   by Jane Evans, illustrated by Izzy Bean
This playful storybook shows children easy ways for them to calm their body and brain when
feeling anxious. It also includes guidance for parents or professionals on the neuroscience
behind the strategies and how they can use the book to help children.

A Star for Bobby  By Helen Keenor
This is a book which talks directly to young children, using language and illustrations they can understand, about the death of a brother or sister, explaining why sometimes these things happen and how this may be making them feel. When Helen Keenor’s baby son, Toby, died shortly after birth, she wanted to explain to her 2 year old daughter Harriet what had happened in a way a little girl could understand. Having searched for a book that would help, Helen, a primary school teacher, decided to write and illustrate a book herself. A Star for Bobby tells the story of a family of birds. One of the newly hatched birds, Bobby, is sick and soon dies. Bobby is buried and his brother and sister, on going to bed that evening, look up at the night sky to see a star shining especially brightly, Bobby’s star. The story lets children know that it isn’t their fault their brother or sister died and that it is all right to feel sad and to say that they are.

​Remembering My Brother   by Ginny Perkins (Author), Leon Morris (Photographer)

Lucy's Baby Brother  by Althea Hayton (Author), J. Farrell (Illustrator)
The story of Lucy's baby brother who dies, aged one day old.

All Shining in the Spring: The Story of a Baby Who Died  by Siobhan Parkinson (Author), Donald Teskey (Illustrator)
Written by the author to help her own son cope with the death of their new baby at birth, All Shining in the Spring is a child centred, simply written book. It is intended to give a child a clear and sympathetic understanding of the death of a baby, be it a family member or not, and to deal with the feelings and questions which such a death raises.

Sad Isn't Bad: A Good-grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss by Michaelene Mundy (Author), Robert W. Alley (Illustrator)

Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies  by Janis Silverman (Author)

My Book About Our Baby That Died  by Lynda Weiss (Author), Bob Graham (Illustrator)

Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between: Beautiful Way to Explain Life and Death to Children (Liftimes)
by Bryan Mellonie & Robert Ingpen 

What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies?
by Trevor Romain & Elizabeth Verdick 

I Miss You: First Look at Death (First Look at Books)
by Pat Thomas 

Saying Goodbye to a Brother or Sister (Saying Goodbye to)
by Nicola Edwards (Author)

Michael Rosen's Sad Book
by Michael Rosen (Author), Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died
by Winston's Wish (Author), Kate Sheppard (Illustrator)

ARTICLES
Effective Tips That Will Help Your Kids Deal with Bereavement
The Teacher's Role When Tragedy Strikes

WEBSITES

The Dougy Center 
Scholastic
​PBS
National Alliance for Grieving Children
Sesame Street
​SELENI
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