Death and Dying – Children’s Books

1. About Dying: An Open Family Book for Parents and Children Together by Sara Bonnett Stein, Walker & Co., 1974. This book is to read aloud to children and gives suggested answers to anticipated questions. Begins with the death of a pet and goes on to the death of a grandparent. Photos by Dick Frank.

2. The Accident by Carol Carrick. A truck accidentally kills Christopher’s dog when he takes him for a walk. His father helps him overcome his anger and grief.

3. Badger's Parting Gift by Susan Varley. Published by Mulberry Books, 1984. Old Badger gives parting gifts to his friends.

4. The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown. Addison-Wesley, 1958. Picture book. Some children find a dead bird in the woods, hold burial for it, return to the site daily until they forget and return to their regular activities.

5. Everett Anderson's Goodbye by Lucille Clifton, Holt & Co. (An Owlet book), 1983. This little picture book goes through the stages of grief in very few words and big pictures. Young African-American boy whose father has died; mother a comfort.

6. The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia. Slack, 1982. Henry Holt. Natural cycles of life and death discussed in simple terms by a cultural icon.

8. Green Mittens From Grandma ~ A Gentle Story of a Child's Grief by Bernice Hanks. Grandma knit special green mittens. When she died, the little boy goes to his room and digs a green mitten out of his drawer and keeps it in his pocket. The young child remembers all the things he loved about grandma.

9. I Don't Have an Uncle Phil Anymore: A Story about Death, Grieving, and Cherishing by Marjorie Pelligrino. Through the child's eyes, many social rituals and traditions associated with death are describes. The boy goes through the cycle of death; his mother tried to explain what happened.

10. I Had a Friend Named Peter: Talking to Children about the Death of a Friend by Janice Cohn, D.S.W. Illustrated by Gail Owens. Published by William Morrow and Company, 1987. Betsy's friend Peter has been struck by car and killed. Her parents explain what death is and what will happen. Betsy and her friends at school make pictures of Peter and decide that as long as they remember him, Peter will always be with them in a special way

11. Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen, Published by Bantam Books. A book about natural lifetimes in all creatures and the fact that sometimes those lives are cut short by accident.

12. The Memory Box by Mary Bahr Illustrated by David Cunningham Published by Albert Whitman Prairie Books, 1992. Zach's grandfather is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's Disease and together, they save up memories for the "memory box."

13. My Grandma Died by Lori BritainThis gentle story is written for the very young. It uses simple, honest language to clarify that death is permanent, that the child will never again be able to bake cookies or rock with grandma. The child acknowledges that losing grandma is a greater loss than that of a toy or pet

14. Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs by Tomie de Paola, Putnam, 1973. Picture book illustrated by author. A boy who enjoys visiting his grandmother and great-grandmother experiences the death of one when he is little and the other when he is older.

15. Petey by Tobi Tobias. Emily is saddened by the death of her pet gerbil, Petey.

16. Sachiko Means Happiness by Kimiko Sakai Illustrated by Tomie Arai Published by Children's Book Press, 1990. Sachiko's grandmother is in the later stages of Alzheimer's Disease and a little girl learns both compassion and acceptance as she deals with her grandmother's limitations and special gifts.

17. The Tenth Good Thing about Barney by Judith Viorst. Illustrated by Erik Blequad Published by Atheneum, 1971. A boy’s family is honest with him about their feelings and his feelings when a pet cat dies.

18. The Two of Them by Aliki. When Grandpa dies, the child sits in his orchard and thinks of the blossoms to come.

19. When A Pet Dies by Fred Rogers

20. When Dinosaurs Die: a Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown Published by Little, Brown and Company, 1996. A multicultural look at dying and the customs that surround it.