Reading Themes - > WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE DIES

Picture Books and Juvenile Fiction

Death of a Friend

Bahr, Mary. IF NATHAN WERE HERE.  [Picture Book BA]
A young boy grieves the loss of his best friend and thinks about how things would be if he were still alive.

Bunting, Eve. RUDI’S POND. [Picture Book BU]
When a sick boy dies, his friends and classmates remember him by building a schoolyard pond in his memory.

Carlstrom, Nancy. BLOW ME A KISS, MISS LILLY.  [Picture Book CA] 
When her best friend, an old lady name Miss Lilly passes away, Sara learns that the memory of a loved one never dies.

Durant, Alan. ALWAYS AND FOREVER. [Picture Book DU]
A family of forest animals learns to cope with the death of a loved one.

Puttock, Simon. STORY FOR HIPPO: A BOOK ABOUT LOSS.  [Picture Book PU]
Animals attempt to cope with the grief over losing a friend.

Wood, Nancy. OLD COYOTE. [Picture Book WO]
Realizing that he has come to the end of his days, Old Coyote recalls many of the good things about this life.

Death of a Parent

Bunting, Eve. MEMORY STRING.  [Picture Book BU]
While still grieving for her mother and unable to accept her stepmother, a girl clings to the memories represented by precious buttons on a string.

Kaplan, Howard. WAITING TO SING.  [Picture Book KA]
A family that loves music and spends many hours at the piano is devastated by the death of the mother, but those still living find consolation in the beautiful music that also remains.

Swain, Gwenyth. I WONDER AS I WANDER. [Picture Book SW]
In this fictional account of the folk song's origin, a girl writes a song that expresses her feelings about Jesus while dealing with the loss of her mother and life on the roads of Appalachia after her father becomes an itinerant preacher.

Death of a Grandparent

Barron, T.A. WHERE IS GRANDPA?  [Picture Book BA]
After his grandfather’s death, a boy realizes that is grandfather is still with him in all the special places they shared.

Bunting, Eve. DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.  [Christmas Holiday Picture Book BU] 
Seven-year-old Allie shares in her Grandfather’s loving memory of her mother who has died four years before.

Bunting, Eve. I HAVE AN OLIVE TREE.  [Picture Book BU]
After her grandfather's death, eight-year-old Sophia fulfills his last request and journeys to Greece with her mother to see the land where her roots are.

Burrowes, Adjoa. GRANDMA’S PURPLE FLOWERS.  [Picture Book BU]

Coleman, Paul W. WHERE THE BALLOONS GO.  [Picture Book CO]
Corey and his grandmother love to watch balloons floating up to the sky, and when she dies, Corey thinks of a special way to say goodbye.

Cooke, Trish. GRANDAD TREE. [Picture Book CO]
The changing seasons of their apple tree, as it grows and goes through the seasons, reminds Leigh and Vin of their grandfather, who is gone but lives on in their memories.

Coville, Bruce. MY GRANDFATHER’S HOUSE.  [Picture Book CO] 
When a child feels the cool, smooth fingers of his dead grandfather, he finally understands that Grandpa no longer lives in the house which was his body.

DePaola, Tomie. NANA UPSTAIRS AND NANA DOWNSTAIRS.  [Picture Book DE] 
Four-year-old Tommy enjoys his relationship with both his Grandmother and his Great Grandmother, but eventually learns to face  their inevitable death.

Doray, Malika. ONE MORE WEDNESDAY.  [Picture Book DO]
When a little animal's grandmother dies, he remembers good times with her and asks his mother about death.

Egger, Bettina. MARIANNE’S GRANDMOTHER .  [Picture Book EG] 
After her grandmother dies, a little girl remembers all the good times they had together.

Fraustino, Lisa Rowe. HICKORY CHAIR.  [Picture Book FR]
A blind boy tells of his warm relationship with his grand mother and the gift she left for him after her death.

Gould, Deborah. GRANDPA’S SLIDE SHOW.  [Picture Book GO] 
Whenever they visited Grandpa, two young brothers always watched a slide show.  After Grandpa dies, they watch the show to remember him.

Haynes, Max. GRANDMA’S GONE TO LIVE IN THE STARS.  [Picture Book HA]
In the moments after grandmother has passed away, her spirit is at peace as she says goodbye to her sleeping family and her home.

Hesse, Karen. POPPY’S CHAIR.  [Picture Book HE] 
Leah’s Grandmother helps her to remember her Grandfather with joy.

London, Jonathan. LIPLAP’S WISH.  [Picture Book LO] 
As he builds a snowbunny, Liplap feels something is missing and wishes he Grandma who recently died was with him.

Munsch, Robert. LIGHTHOUSE: A STORY OF REMEMBRANCE. [Picture Book MU]
After her grandfather’s funeral, Sarah wakes her father in the middle of the night so they can go to the lighthouse her grandfather loved and remember other nighttime visits there.

Plourde, Lynn. THANK YOU, GRANDPA. [Picture Book PL]
Throughout the seasons, grandfather and granddaugher pay tribute to other creatures on their nature walks. After her beloved grandfather dies, the girl walks alone, but his lessons remain.

Wright, Betty Ren. CAT NEXT DOOR.  [Picture Book WR]
After grandma dies the annual visit to her summer cabin is not the same, but the cat next door remembers how things used to be and cheers the grieving grandchild.

Yolen, Jane.  GRANDAD BILL’S SONG .  [Picture Book YO] 
A boy asks other how they felt when his grandfather died and then he shares his own feelings.

Early Non-Fiction, Juvenile Non-Fiction & Non-Fiction

Death of a Friend or Grandparent

Edwards, Nicola. SAYING GOODBYE TO A GRANDPARENT. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.93 E]
Discusses ways to manage and understand the facts and feelings surrounding bereavement. Offers practical suggestions for managing grief.

Edwards, Nicola. SAYING GOODBYE TO A FRIEND. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.93 E]
Discusses ways to manage and understand the facts and feelings surrounding bereavement. Offers practical suggestions for managing grief.

Death of a Parent

Bratman, Fred.  EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN A PARENT DIES.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 B]
A guide to coping with the stresses and emotions arising after the death of a parent.

Dennison, Amy. OUR DAD DIED: THE TRUE STORY OF THREE KIDS WHOSE LIVES CHANGED. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 D]
Three children, ages eight (twins) and four, describe how their lives changed when their father died suddenly two years earlier and offer practical advice for overcoming loss and moving on with life.

Krementz, Jill.  HOW IT FEELS WHEN A PARENT DIES.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 K]
A group of young people, ranging in age from 7 to 16, discuss their experiences when one of their parents died.

LeShan, Eda.  LEARNING TO SAY GOOD-BY: WHEN A PARENT DIES.  [Youth Nonfiction  J 155.937 L] 
Discusses the questions, fears and fantasies many children experience when a parent or someone close to them dies.

Napoli, Donna Jo.  FLAMINGO DREAM.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 N]
Grieving over her father’s death from cancer, a young girl celebrates their last year together by making a book of memories.

Spelman, Cornelia. AFTER CHARLOTTE’S MOM DIED. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 S]
Because her mom's death causes six-year-old Charlotte to feel sad, mad, and scared, she and her dad visit a therapist who helps them acknowledge and express their feelings.

Vigna, Judith. SAYING GOODBYE TO DADDY.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 V]
Frightened, lonely, and angry after her father is killed in a car accident, Clare is helped through the grieving process by her mother and grandfather.

Wilson, Antoine. YOU AND A DEATH IN YOUR FAMILY.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 W]

Death of an Unborn Baby, Infant, Sibling or Child

Cohn, Janice. MOLLY’S ROSEBUSH .  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 C]
When the new baby they’ve been expecting isn’t strong enough to be born, Molly and her family find different ways to express feelings and comfort each other.

Gryte, Marilyn. NO NEW BABY.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 G]
After her unborn sibling dies, a young child tells how she feels about the baby’s death and how her grandmother explains it.

Johnston, Tony.  THAT SUMMER.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 J]
A family, including a child who is dying, sews together a quilt of its memories and love.

Olde, Wendie C. STACY HAD A LITTLE SISTER.  [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 O]
Stacy has mixed feelings about her new baby sister, but when she dies of SIDS, Stacy misses her.

Rosen, Michael. MICHAEL ROSEN’S SAD BOOK. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 R]
A man tells about all the emotions that accompany his sadness over the death of his son, and how he tries to cope. (The author’s son died suddenly of meningitis at the age of 18).

Ruiz, Ruth Ann. COPING WITH THE DEATH OF A BROTHER OR SISTER. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 R]
SAYING GOOBYE TO A BROTHER OR SISTER. [J 155.9 S]
Offers practical suggestions for managing grief, resassures children that support is there for them, encourages children to ask questions and share how they are feeling and gives ideas for keeping hold of their memories of their brother or sister.

General Guides for Coping with Grief

Brown, Margaret Wise.  DEAD BIRD.  [JE 155  Early Nonfiction] 
When they find a dead bird, a group of children bury it in the woods, sing a song to it, and put flowers on the grave.

Brown, Laurene. WHEN DINOSAURS DIE: A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING DEATH. [JE 155 Early Nonfiction and Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 B]
Explains in simple language the feelings people may have regarding the death of a loved one and the ways to honor the memory of someone who has died.

Buscaglia, Leo.  FALL OF FREDDIE THE LEAF: A STORY OF LIFE FOR ALL AGES.  [JE 155 Early Nonfiction]
As Freddie the Leaf experiences the changing seasons along with his companion leaves, he learns about the delicate balance between life and death.

Gellman, Marc. LOST AND FOUND: A KID’S BOOK FOR LIVING THROUGH LOSS. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 G]
Describes different kinds of losses—losing possessions, competitions, health, trust, and the permanent loss because of death--and discusses how to handle these situations.

Hanson, Warren. THE NEXT PLACE. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 H]
This book is an inspirational journey of light and hope, a celebration of life, to a place where earthly hurts are left.

Johnston, Marianne. LET'S TALK ABOUT GOING TO A FUNERAL. [JE 393 Early Nonfiction]
Gives an overview of what a funeral is, why our culture holds them, and what might happen at one.

McIntyre, Barbara. JUNGLE JOURNEY: GRIEVING AND REMEMBERING ELEANOR THE ELEPHANT. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 M]
The animals confront their grief after the death of their beloved Eleanor the elephant on a remarkable journey through the jungle. A courageous and hopeful story of grief and loss that will inspire children of all ages.

Mills, Joyce C., Ph.D. GENTLE WILLOW: A STORY FOR CHILDREN ABOUT DYING. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 M]
Amanda squirrel is upset that she is going to lose her friend, Gentle Willow, but the Tree Wizards give advice that help both her and Gentle Willow accept the change that comes with death.

Portnoy, Mindy Avra. WHERE DO PEOPLE GO WHEN THEY DIE? [JE 155 Early Nonfiction]
What should you say to a child who asks about death? In this sensitively written book, children ask various adults, and themselves, “Where do people go when they die?” Each response is different, and reflects various beliefs about deaths. Includes suggestions for parents on how to explain death to children.

Schwiebert, Pat. TEAR SOUP: A RECIPE FOR HEALING AFTER LOSS.  [Youth Nonfiction J 152.4 S]
In storybook format, character, Grandy, has just suffered a big loss in her life, and so she is cooking up her own unique batch of ‘tear soup’.  Her tear soup will help to bring her comfort and ultimately help to fill the void in her life that was created by her loss.

Silverman, Janis. HELP ME SAY GOOD-BYE: ACTIVITIES FOR HELPING KIDS COPE WHEN A SPECIAL PERSON DIES. [Youth Nonfiction J 155.9 S]
Provides a variety of hands-on activities designed to help kids cope with losing someone.

Helpful Guides for Parents

Alderman, Linda. WHY DID DADDY DIE? HELPING CHILDREN COPE WITH THE LOSS OF A PARENT.  [Adult Nonfiction 155.937 A]

BEREAVED CHILDREN AND TEENS: A SUPPORT GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND PROFESSIONALS.  [Adult Nonfiction 155.937B]

Emswiler, Mary Ann. GUIDING YOUR CHILD THROUGH GRIEF.  [Adult Nonfiction 155.937 E]

Fitzgerald, Helen.  GRIEVING CHILD: A PARENTS GUIDE.  [Adult Nonfiction 155.937 F]

Johnson, Joy. KEYS TO HELPIING CHILDREN DEAL WITH DEATH AND GRIEF. [Adult Nonfiction 155.937 J] 

Schaefer, Dan.  HOW DO WE TELL THE CHILDREN?: A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO HELPING CHILDREN UNDERSTAND AND COPE WHEN SOMEONE DIES.  [Adult Nonfiction 155.937S]

VanderWyden, P. William.  BUTTERFLIES: TALKING WITH CHILDREN ABOUT DEATH AND ETERNAL LIFE.  [Adult Nonfiction 155.937V]

Wolfelt, Alan. HEALING THE BEREAVED CHILD.  [Adult Nonfiction 144.937 W]