Books for Kids on Death and Grief

Have you ever looked up a recipe to make a dish that you weren’t confident trying on your own?  Have you ever referenced a familiar prayer or quote in a time of need? Or maybe, you’ve picked up the latest get fit fast book to get in shape.  We all turn to books to solve different problems in our life.  Books for kids are no exception.  We can use books to help kids navigate tough situations.  Today, that tough situation is death and grief.

Books for Kids on Death and Grief

Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  Some books were sent for me to review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

General Books About Death

Always Remember by Meng is the story of sea friends who remember Old Turtle who has passed away.

My Yellow Balloon by Tiffany Papageorge is a beautifully illustrated book about a boy who gets a yellow balloon at a carnival.  One day the balloon slips off his wrist and drifts away.  Joey feels angry, confused, and sad as he tries to process his loss.  As time passes he transitions from feeling sad most of the time to just some of the time.

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia is a classic story to help kids process death.  It uses the life cycle of a leaf to explain the process of life.

For a little more of a concrete story example of the leaf life cycle, check out Buddy and Bea by Len Saunders. It is the tale of a leaf, a bird, and the circle of life.  Bea the bird watches her leaf friend emerge as a bud and live until it’s time for him to fall from the tree.

The Invisible String by Patrice Garst is a reassuring book that helps to explain that even though we aren’t physically with someone, we are connected by an invisible string.  There is a one-page spread that does address the invisible string reaching all the way to heaven.

The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr can help even our youngest ones address all the feelings that come along with saying goodbye.

It Will Be Okay by Lysa TerKeurst shows kids that they can always turn to God in a tough situation like death.

Death of a Grandparent

My Superhero Grandpa by Michele McAvoy helps kids visualize that even though Grandpa is in Heaven, he can still share his superpowers with us.

Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs is written by the very talented Tomie DePaola. “She will come back in your memory whenever you think about her.” is the gentle message kids will take away from the book.

Grandpa’s Stories by Joseph Coelho is the story of a little girl remembering the things she did with her grandfather through the seasons.

A beautiful book to read is Saturdays are for Stella by Candy Wellins.  George loves spending Saturdays with his Grandma.  But, then his Grandma passes away and Saturdays just don’t feel the same.  But, through his mourning, there is joy when a new addition arrives in the family.

When Grandfather Flew by Patricia MacLachlan is the story of a loving grandfather and his grandson and their bond over bird watching.  When the grandfather passes, the grandson feels a connection to his grandfather when he sees an eagle soaring through the sky.

Dadaji’s Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a gentle story of the love between grandfather and son. After Dadaji’s death, painting no longer interests his grandson. But, after some time and a spark of interest, the grandson is able to look at Dadaji’s paintings again and pick up the paintbrush himself.

Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship by Heather Smith and Ashley Barron works well for young children.  In the story, we see that a child is left with wonderful memories of playing and spending time with his Granny.

Remembering Sundays with Grandpa by Lauren H. Kerstein is the story of a child missing his grandfather who recently passed. Mom and child look for things that spark memories of Grandpa and share those memories with each other.  They also start a weekly ritual that will remind them each week about Grandpa.

Death of a Parent

Grief is Like a Snowflake by Julia Cook helps to process the loss of a father.  The book is very reassuring for little ones.

Everett Anderson’s Goodbye by Lucile Clifton also address the death of a father.  Everett experiences several stages of grief in the story.

Death of a Friend or Other Loved One

Sometimes tools and objects can help us process the tough things in this life. Cape by Kevin Johnson . In this story, a young child dons a cape to help transform and find the strength to protect oneself during a time of grief after losing a loved one. Turns out this tool can also bring a flood of healing too. Cape by Kevin Johnson is a great book for helping children deal with sadness in their lives too after losing someone they love.

Ida, Always by Caron Levis is a heart-breaking and heart-warming story of two polar bear friends. Gus learns that Ida is sick.  After she passes, Gus realizes that she may be gone, but not forgotten.  It’s one of my favorites on the list.

Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories by Audrey Penn tells us about the loss of a friend and how we can take our memories of our friends to help us get through the grief.

Death of a Sibling

This is a super tough topic to help kids process.  I put together a special list with age recommendations for this section.

The Hole by Lindsay Bonilla is about a child and parents who have lost their school aged brother and son.  Grief feels like a hole and it is always with you. Our main character misses his brother and is angry that he is gone.  He describes that feeling as a hole.  Throughout the book we see how the hole ebbs and flows.  Recommended for early elementary and up.

We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead by Pat Schwiebert is about a family that deals with a miscarriage. The young boy in the story tells about all the things he was thinking about doing with the baby while he waited for a new sister or brother. “But, something happened. The baby died.” The boy talks about his family being sad but recognizing that the baby will always live in their hearts. Instead of a baby the family got an angel instead.

The text is simple and illustrations are comforting, colorful and encouraging. This would be a good book for very young children through early elementary. At the end of the book you will also find ideas and resources for helping your child.

No New Baby by Marily Gryte is also for siblings who have a sister or brother die before birth. The story starts with mom going to the hospital because something is wrong and dad returns to say that the baby died. The family remembers all of their preparations for getting ready for baby. The child in the story questions whether they were responsible for the baby’s death. Her grandmother assures her that this was not the case. Their is an overall message that it’s ok to be sad.

There really aren’t illustrations to support the text. The message is comforting though and would work for preschoolers to elementary age children. There are a few tips at the beginning of the book for parents and grandparents.

Last Week My Brother Anthony Died by Martha Whitmore Hickman is about losing a very young brother who was just four weeks old. Anthony has to return to the hospital for an operation. His heart was not strong enough. A minister comes to talk to the parents at the house and then visits with the young sibling in the story. He comforts the girl when he says, “The sad feelings come and go, like clouds.”

Where’s Jess? by Marvin Johnson tells about a family that loses a sibling. The story never states whether it’s a brother or sister or how old the child is when then child dies which makes it work well for each family situation.

The story addresses questions sibling have about death. It states facts about death such as your body stops working, you can’t think or feel and you can’t breathe. The story also shares that there is a “special place” for dead people. The books ends with how we remember our loved one.

A Birthday Present for Daniel by Juliet Rothman tells the story of losing a brother and how much he is missed. It’s about how the surviving brother and sister each grieve differently. The story addresses many common feelings of hurt, confusion, and anger. The family decides to celebrate Daniel’s birthday even though he is gone. They get balloons and each write messages to Daniel. Then, they release the balloons and watch them travel off into the sky.

The illustrations are done in black and white but provide lots of support to the text. This book would work well for elementary age children.

Death of a Pet

Processing grief takes time.  Matthew Cordell’s book, Bear Island, takes us through a walk in nature to process that loss and hope for the future.   Louise adventures to an island near her home after the death of her dog, Charlie where she meets different animals including a bear that help her process her loss.

The Rough Patch by Brain Lies is the story of a human-like fox and his dog.  They spend all their time together and are so happy especially tending the garden.  But, one day his dog passes away and the fox lets the garden turn to weeds.  Then one day, he notices a vine in the weeds and his sorrow starts to fade. A great book for processing grief.

I’ll Always Love You by Hans Wihelm is the story of a family that wakes up one morning to find that their beloved dog has passed away.

If your child wonders where their beloved pet goes,  and Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant may be extremely comforting.

The End of Something Wonderful by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic is a how-to guide for putting on a backyard funeral no matter if the child has lost a pet fish or guinea pig. The story is told with practicality as well as a sensitive and bit humorous touch. A great pick for a child who has lost a pet.

A young child processes the recent loss of his dog while his family prepares la ofrenda in preparation of Dia de los Muertos in An Ofrenda for Perro by Judith Valdés.

It’s a list I hope we don’t need anytime soon.  But, it’s helpful to know that it exists when that time comes.  Turn to one of these books the next your child is grieving the loss of someone important to her.

Printable List of Books About Death and Grief

This is one list you will want to hold onto for future reference.

P.S. For more great book recommendations and literacy ideas to reach all growing readers,  sign up to receive our FREE weekly emails.

This post first appeared on Growing Book by Book on 9/26/16 and has now been updated.