25 books to help grieving kids and teens

Grief can be a tough topic for a person of any age. Helping children with their difficult emotions during the grieving process could be made easier through books. Here are several book titles, broken down by age groups, that address these feelings and how you can find some in your local library. 

Preschool (Ages 3 to 5 years)

• The Invisible String -Patrice Karst
• Ben’s Flying Flowers -Inger Maier 
• We Were Going to Have a Baby but We Had an Angel Instead -Pat Schweibert
• I Miss You: A First Look at Death -Pat Thomas
• When Families Grieve (Kit includes book for child, parent and DVD) -Sesame Street

School Age (Ages 6 to 11)

• When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death – Laurie Krasny Brown
• The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages – Leo Buscaglia
• The Elephant in the Room: A Children’s Book for Grief and Loss – Amanda Edwards and Leslie Ponciano
• I Have a Question about Death: Clear Answers for All Kids, including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other Special Needs – Arlen Grad Gaines and Meredith Englander Polsky
• The Next Place – Warren Hanson 
• What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies? – Trevor Romain
• The Empty Place: A Child’s Guide Through Grief -Roberta Temes
• Badger’s Parting Gifts – Susan Varley
• When Someone Very Special Dies (Workbook) – Marge Heegarrd
• The Healing Book: Facing the Death and Celebrating the Life of Someone You Love (Workbook) -Ellen Sabin
• A Child Remembers (Workbook) -Enid Samuel-Traisman

Teens

• The Grieving Teen: A Guide for Teenagers and Their Friends – Helen Fitzgerald
• Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss – Pat Schweibert
• Modern Loss: Candid Conversation about Grief – Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner
• Fire in My Heart, Ice in My Veins: A Journal for Teens Experiencing a Loss (Workbook) – Enid Samuel-Traisman
• Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens – Alan Wolfelt

caregivers supporting grieving children

• Guiding Your Child Through Grief – Mary Ann and James Emswiler
• The Grieving Child: A Parent’s Guide – Helen Fitzgerald
• A Parent’s Guide to Raising Grieving Children – Phyllis Silverman and Madelyn Kelly

*Please note that resources listed do not represent an endorsement by Dayton Children’s Hospital