Reading as Grief Therapy for Children: Picture Books

My church recently started a grief support group for adults. But although the group itself is limited to adults, some of them have children who are also grieving. Since I write books for children, I volunteered to put together a list of reading materials for parents to use with their grieving sons and daughters.

I used the Internet to find relevant books, but I’m not about to promote something unless I have read it first. As a result, I spent several weeks reading children’s books about loss, and I was selective.

In the next few posts, I’m going to share my choices with you, starting with picture books designed mostly for children ages 4–8. Some of these deal specifically with death, while others talk about loss and separation in more general terms.

Here is my list of picture books for young children who are grieving.

·       The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland—A girl is afraid she will forget a loved one who has died, so she makes a memory box to keep that person with her always.

·       The Invisible String by Patrice Karst—During a thunderstorm, five-year-old twins run to find their mother because they don’t want to be parted from her. She assures them that love is an invisible string that will always keep them together. Death is just one of the separations mentioned in this book, which has been used by many groups that deal with children’s grief.

·       Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen—A modern parable about grieving, this book is good for all ages.

·       Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley—An elderly badger knows he will die soon and tries to prepare his friends. The best gifts he gives them are the memories.

·       The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr—Using fish as subjects, this book talks about how we feel after we say goodbye forever.

·       ida, always by Caron Levis—Two polar bears in the zoo are together constantly until Ida gets sick and dies. The story tells us that Ida will always be with Gus, even after she is gone.

·       Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola—This story tells about the relationship between the author, his grandmother, and his great-grandmother and how he dealt with his great-grandmother’s death.

·       Where Are You? A Child’s Book About Loss by Laura Oliveieri—A young boy learns that loved ones will always be in our hearts and memories, even when we can't see them anymore.

·       When Someone Dies: Find Comfort in Jesus by Julie Stiegemeyer—With a clearly Christian emphasis, this book uses the experiences of other children to show how we can find comfort in Jesus after someone dies.

·       A Hug from Heaven by Anna Whiston-Donaldson—In another book with a Christian emphasis, the person who died talks to the child left behind about ways to cope with his or her grief.

·       My Heart Hurts: A Grief Workbook for Children by Karen Jaggers—This workbook provides activities for children to do after a loved one dies. It is not suited for one sitting but should be spread out over days or weeks.

·       Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs by Susan Schaefer Bernardo—This book about being connected even when apart is especially good for children whose parents are going through a divorce.

If you have young children grieving a loss, check out these books. Next week I will move to middle-grade fiction about death.