Books About Grief and Loss for Children
Good books about grief and loss for children seem like a rare thing, and we welcome your submissions. If there’s something you’d like to share, be sure to let us know at info@endoflifeoptionsnm.org or Contact Us through the website.
General Grief & Understanding Loss
featured:
Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea
A poignant yet hopeful novel about a girl navigating grief, trauma, and friendship, from Ashley Herring Blake, the award-winning author of Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World.
by Ashley Herring Blake
Hazel Bly used to live in the perfect house with the perfect family in sunny California. But when a kayaking trip goes horribly wrong, Mum is suddenly gone forever and Hazel is left with crippling anxiety and a jagged scar on her face. After Mum’s death, Hazel, her other mother, Mama, and her little sister, Peach, need a fresh start. So for the last two years, the Bly girls have lived all over the country, never settling anywhere for more than a few months.
When the family arrives in Rose Harbor, Maine, there’s a wildness to the small town that feels like magic. But when Mama runs into an old childhood friend – Claire – suddenly Hazel’s tight-knit world is infiltrated. To make it worse, she has a daughter Hazel’s age, Lemon, who can’t stop rambling on and on about the Rose Maid, a local 150-year-old mermaid myth.
Soon, Hazel finds herself just as obsessed with the Rose Maid as Lemon is – because what if magic were real? What if grief really could change you so much, you weren’t even yourself anymore? And what if instead you emerged from the darkness stronger than before?
Find it at your library or support your local bookstore.
Ages 2–5 (Preschool)
- The Goodbye Book (Todd Parr) – Simple, reassuring discussion about loss.
- Something Very Sad Happened (Bonnie Zucker) – Introduces death with gentle explanation and adult guidance.
- Always by My Side (Susan Kerner) – Comforts young children about love lasting beyond absence.
- The Rabbit Listened (Cori Doerrfeld) – Focuses on emotions and support rather than specific loss.
Ages 6–10 (Elementary)
- The Memory Box: A Book About Grief (by Joanna Rowland) – Uses memories and activities to explore loss.
- I Miss You: A First Look at Death (Pat Thomas) – Explains death and emotions clearly.
- The Memory Tree (Britta Teckentrup) – Shows friends remembering a loved one and planting a tree.
- I Miss You Most (Cassie Hoyt) – Helps children express feelings of missing someone.
Ages 8–12+ (Middle Grades)
Loss of a Parent or Loved Adult
featured:
Badger’s Parting Gifts
“The gentle message holds particular validity for children and is conveyed in a tenderhearted manner.” – Booklist
by
All the woodland creatures – Mole, Frog, Fox, and Rabbit – love old Badger, who is their confidante, advisor, and friend. When he dies, they are overwhelmed by their loss. Then they begin to remember and treasure the memories he left them.
Told simply, directly, and honestly, this uplifting story will be of tremendous value to both children and their parents. A gentle classic that can help foster communication, care, and understanding.
Find it at your library or support your local bookstore.
Ages 2–7 (Preschool)
- Everett Anderson’s Goodbye (Lucille Clifton) – A child’s simple, heartfelt experience with a parent’s death.
- The Heart and the Bottle (Oliver Jeffers) – How a child’s heart closes and reopens after loss.
- Badger’s Parting Gifts (Susan Varley) – Friends cope with death by remembering what the loved one taught them.
Ages 8–12 (Elementary)
Loss of a Pet
featured:
When a Pet Dies
Part of the ‘First Experiences’ series
by Fred Rogers
In this useful book from the First Experience series, the affable star of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood helps children share feelings of the loss of a pet while offering reassurance that grieving is a natural, healing thing to do.
“A sensitive and sensible first book about death.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Filled with warmth and reassurance, …When a Pet Dies assures youngsters that no matter how badly they feel when they lose a pet, in time their hurt will ease, and they will be able to remember with fondness the happiness they shared.” –Booklist Find it at your library or support your local bookstore.
Ages 2–5
Ages 4–8
- The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (Judith Viorst) – Counting happy memories of a pet.
- The Invisible Leash – A story about an ongoing emotional connection to a pet.
- Cat Heaven (Cynthia Rylant) – A comforting view of a pet’s life after death.
- Paws + Edward (Espen Dekko) – Tender story about losing a beloved pet and remembering their life.
Ages 8–12
Loss of a Sibling (or close peer)
featured:
Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children
When the death of a relative, a friend, or a pet happens or is about to happen . . . how can we help a child to understand?
by
Lifetimes is a moving book for children of all ages, even parents too. It lets us explain life and death in a sensitive, caring, beautiful way. Lifetimes tells us about beginnings. And about endings. And about living in between. With large, wonderful illustrations, it tells about plants. About animals. About people. It tells that dying is as much a part of living as being born. It helps us to remember. It helps us to understand.
Lifetimes . . . a very special, very important book for you and your child. The book that explains—beautifully—that all living things have their own special Lifetimes.
Find it at your library or support your local bookstore.
Ages 3–8
Ages 8–12
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