Best Children’s Books About Bereavement, Grief & Loss
This list includes children’s books that explore the topic of bereavement, with an emphasis on stories that support children and families to talk and think about the loss of a loved one.
Books can help children to empathise with others, explore big emotions and gently open conversations about difficult experiences including the death of a parent, relative, teacher or friend. The stories on this list have been specially selected by the experts at BooksForTopics to cover the topics of grief and loss as well as stories about finding ways to remember beloved friends or relatives after they die. These topics are not always easy to discuss with children, but the stories selected on this list are included because they can provide a suitable stimulus for exploring experiences of bereavement and loss.
From animal tales like Badger’s Parting Gifts and The Memory Tree to stories about the loss of a parent or grandparent like Storm in a Jar and Dadaji’s Paintbrush, these stories are here to help explore experiences of grief for children.
Our featured Paid Placement for this month is Let’s Talk About When Someone Dies. Our panel recommends this book for its refreshingly direct and matter-of-fact tone, which helps to demystify a difficult subject for young readers. It serves as an important practical tool that balances the metaphor-heavy stories usually found in bereavement collections, ensuring emotional support toolkits have a mix of both emotional storytelling and clear information.
