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Here are some books that can help children deal with the death of a loved one. These books can be found in the Easy section of the library, unless otherwise noted.
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Helping Kits are geared toward youth and caregivers who may be experiencing a difficult situation in life, specifically addressed by the topic of the kit. Each individual Helping Kit includes 3-5 picture books on the specific topic, a list of online resources for caregivers, and activities for the child and caregiver to complete together. |
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Love
by Corrinne Averiss
As Tess worries that her family's love might not stretch as far as the school she is attending for the first time, this story subtly addresses her relatable feelings about anxiety, separation, death, and grief.
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Drawn Onward
by Daniel Nayeri
This extraordinary and emotional palindrome picture book, in which a grieving young boy braves the dark forest to ask, “Mom, were you glad you were mom,” gently guides readers through the depth of grief and illuminates what remains when our loved ones are gone.
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Still Mine
by Jayne Pillemer
This comforting and reassuring picture book for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one shows how even though your heart hurts and you miss them, they are still there and yours to love, just in a different way.
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Cape
by Kevin Johnson
After losing the person in his life he loves more than anything, a young child holds onto a cape as a source of comfort and strength as he navigates the sadness and joy of his memories.
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Moonlight Memories
by Amanda Davis
After her mother passes away, Piper uses her new telescope to find a constellation of memories, which she hurries to draw, night after night, before they fade from view, until her room is covered in reminders of her mother's love.
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Missing Mommy: A Book About Bereavement
by Rebecca Cobb
Honest and straightforward, this touching story explores the many emotions a bereaved child may experience as a result of the loss of a parent or loved one, from anger and guilt to sadness and bewilderment.
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Fox: a Circle of Life Story
by Isabel Thomas
Fox teaches her cubs to survive in the wild, until one day she dies. Her body goes back to earth and grass and air, nourishing the world around her, showing that death is also a beginning. Please note, this book can be found in the Easy Nonfiction section of the library.
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Saturdays Are for Stella
by
Candy Wellins
George loves Saturdays because Saturdays mean time with Grandma Stella. The two of them love going on adventures downtown to visit the dinosaur museum and ride on the carousel! Even when they stay in, George and Stella have fun together, making cinnamon rolls without popping open a tube and sharing the biggest, best hugs. Then one day Stella is gone, and George is ready to cancel Saturdays.
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Memoirs of a Tortoise
by
Devin Scillian
Spending decades alongside a human best friend who is just his age, Oliver the 80-year-old tortoise wonders why his pet has left him and embarks on a visit to his mother’s garden to ask if she knows.
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The Purple Balloon
by
Christopher Raschka
As captured in the drawings of purple and blue balloons, this inspiring book deals with children who are coping with fatal illnesses and their own mortality through direct and sensitive language. Please note, this book can be found in the Easy Nonfiction section of the library.
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Maybe Tomorrow?
by
Charlotte Agell
A tender exploration of loss and the power of supportive kindness, empathy and friendship depicts a kindhearted, butterfly-covered gator who helps a mourning purple hippo carry around a shrinking metaphorical block of sadness in the aftermath of a painful loss.
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A Map Into the World
by
Kao Kalia Yang
Moving into a new home with her family, a young Hmong girl encounters both birth and death as she curiously explores life inside and outside her home, discovering beauty in and connection to the busy world.
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The Rabbit Listened
by
Cori Doerrfeld
A metaphorical tale of empathy and friendship follows the experiences of a small child who is offered well-intentioned advice from his animal friends in the wake of a loss but only finds comfort with the last animal, a rabbit who just quietly listens.
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Helping Kits are geared toward youth and caregivers who may be experiencing a difficult situation in life, specifically addressed by the topic of the kit. Each individual Helping Kit includes 3-5 picture books on the specific topic, a list of online resources for caregivers, and activities for the child and caregiver to complete together. |
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Bone Dog
by Eric Rohmann
Although devastated when his pet dog dies, a young boy goes trick-or-treating and receives a timely visit from an old friend during a scary encounter with graveyard skeletons.
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The Longest Letsgoboy
by Derick Wilder
As a dog and his little girl go on their final walk together, he gets to experience the sights, smells, and wonders of this world one last time before peacefully passing on. But for such a good boy and his forever friend, that doesn't mean it's the end.
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Benny and Penny in How to Say Goodbye
by Geoffrey Hayes
When their salamander friend dies, mouse siblings Benny and Penny learn how to say goodbye. Please note, this book can be found in the Easy Graphic Novel section of the library.
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Rodney Was a Tortoise
by Nan Forler
When her beloved pet tortoise, Rodney, dies, Bernadette feels all alone until a special friend helps her overcome her sadness, in this comforting and gently humorous picture book about bereavement and the power of friendship.
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Clark the Shark: Friends Forever
by Bruce Hale
When Clark the Shark disregards his best friend Joey Mackerel's advice about entering a drawing contest to meet his hero, Clark learns valuable lessons about friendship and putting others first when Joey's pet catfish dies. Please note, this book can be found in the Early Reader section of the library.
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Bear Island
by
Matthew Cordell
Louise and her family are sad over the loss of their beloved dog, Charlie. "Life will not be the same," Louise says, as she visits a little island that Charlie loved. But on a visit to the island after Charlie's death, something strange happens: she meets a bear, sad just like her. As Louise visits more often, she realizes that getting over loss takes time.
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Harry & Hopper
by
Margaret Wild
One day when Harry comes home from school, his faithful companion Hopper isn't there to greet him.
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Big Cat, Little Cat
by
Elisha Cooper
A big cat who lives alone suddenly must adjust when a new, little cat arrives.
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Dog Heaven
by
Cynthia Rylant
Comforting and smile-inducing poetic text speculates on the place where all good dogs go, describing Dog Heaven as a wonderful location filled with countless ham biscuits, good meals, lots of petting, and endless stretches of fields to run in.
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The Rough Patch
by
Brian Lies
Farmer Evan and his dog do everything together, especially, in the garden. When his dog passes away, Evan lets his garden fill with weeds until a pumpkin vine brings new hope.
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A Stone for Sascha
by
Aaron Becker
A little girl mourns the loss of her dog while walking along the beach during a first family vacation without him, discovering polished stones near the shoreline as well as comforting truths, in a poignant, wordless picture book by the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Journey.
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I'll Always Love You
by
Hans Wilhelm
A child's sadness at the death of a beloved dog is tempered by the remembrance of saying to it every night, "I'll always love you."
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