Books for Children on Death and Dying

Death is a hard topic to talk about yet a really important one. Whether your child is dealing with the death of a family pet, a grandparent or family member, a friend, neighbor, teacher; here are some wonderful books to share together that talk about the process of death. These books also have answers to questions that your children might have. The books with ** are my favorites. 

Books for Children on Death and Dying

** Lifetimes by Bryan Mellonie & Robert Ingpen

This is my favorite book to use with children ages 4 and up that explains death in a caring and beautiful way. It shows us through illustrations that dying is as much a part of living as being born. Ages 4 and up

The Goodbye Boat by Mary Joslin

This book describes death through pictures and words and about saying goodbye. Ages 4 and up

When Dinosaurs Die by Laurene Brown

This isn’t a story about death but actually deals with chidlren’s fears of death by answering basic questions. Ages 5-8

I Miss You: A first look at Death by Pat Thomas

Written by a psychotherapist and counselor this books helps children deal with understanding death. Ages 4 and up

Where are you? A Child’s book about loss by Lauren Olivieri

Ages 5 and up

Why do People Die? Helping your child understand with love and Understanding by Cynthia MacGregor

This book is a great comfort to children and adults and answers the questions that are often asked when someone dies. A straightforward book for ages 7 and up.

I had a friend named Peter: Talking to children about the death of a friend by Janice Cohn

When Betsy learns about the death of a friend she begins to learn about dying, funerals and the burial process. Ages 5 and up

When a Pet Dies by Fred Rogers

A Mr. Rodgers book about coping with the death of a pet. Ages 5 and up

**My Pet Died by Rachel Biale

A wonderful ‘let’s make a book together that you can do with your child when dealing with a pet loss. 

Some great pictures books to share with your child with death as a main theme are: 

**The Tenth Good Thing about Barney by Judith Viorst

**Saying Goodbye to Lulu by Corinee Demas

The Accident by Carol Carrick

**I remember Miss Perry by Pat Brisson (dealing with the death of a teacher)

Jim’s dog Muffins by Miriam Cohen

Ada’s pal by George Ella Lyon

**Sammy in the Sky by Barbara Walsh

**Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley

**Harry and Hooper by Margaret Wild

A Part to Play by Jennifer Fry

“She was lost, where all she could see, all she could hear, was him. The music filled every part of her; the holes left by her parents and Kate.” 

Lucy was an ordinary teenager until the accident, BA (before accident). She had a wonderful older sister, Kate, who she adored and admired. Then suddenly Kate has a terrible car accident and dies. Lucy’s family just stops and life can’t seem to go on without her sister Kate. Lucy’s mother falls apart and her parents separate. Lucy feels the blame for her sister’s death like she should have been the one in the car; she should have been the one to die. Subsequently, Lucy is shipped off to a Performing Arts boarding school where she tries to deal with her grief. Lucy comes close to getting expelled from school when suddenly she finds a young muse, a talented musician, who she falls in love with. Through this love she recreates her love for acting and finds the ability to push through the pain and the nightmares. But at what cost? Unfortunately as her relationship begins to become much more intense with this young man they both struggle to become their own people and Lucy begins to lose herself.

This is a heart-wrenching story with raw emotion and real characters.  I couldn’t put this book down. I laughed and I cried throughout the story. A Part to Play is a beautiful coming of age story about a young girl who has loved and lost and the power she finds deep inside of herself to put her life back together again.  There are many wonderful themes including romance, family problems, bullying, and death.

I would recommend this story for Grades 7 and up.  This book is available in eBook format as well as paperback, and audio. This would make a wonderful present for your favorite teen this holiday season. Check out this young new Marin author, Jennifer Fry. 

Book Trailer

Author website

Twitter: https://twitter.com/frygurl

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Audible

The Mailbox

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer

This is not your ordinary teen read. It is one full of beautiful writing, substance and deals with several serious topics; war, the foster system, and the life of veterans. This is a very touching and emotional story that shows us how people can save each other. Ages 12 and up.

12 year-old Gabe is lucky to live with his Uncle Vernon after spending many miserable years in the foster care system. He grows to love his grumpy old Uncle until one day he comes home to realize he has died. His body is left laying on the floor and Gabe doesn’t know what to do or who to call. He goes to bed distraught only to find the next morning that the body is gone, disappeared. Gabe goes about his business keeping the secret that Uncle Vernon has died, trying to take care of himself, clean the house and go to the store for groceries. He knows this is what his Uncle would want him to do. But suddenly he is receiving strange notes in his mailbox from a secret friend. The story continues with exchanges from this friend that Gabe believes to be his “fairy godmother”. Gabe is a wonderful character and this is really a very touching story about life and love. This could be a great read-aloud because it could lead to some great life discussions. A great recommendation for 6^th grade and up. 

Some emotional reads

“But really, anybody could die any day, whether you were ready or not. It could be your pet fish or your sister or you. Nothing is the same forever.” (Love, Aubrey, LaFleur, p. 242)

Well, in the past few days I have read two very different books, both heartwarming and sad on two very real issues, adoption and death. Even though it is summer and both of my kids are home and we are all starting to get on each other’s nerves reading these two books made me grateful for what I do have. Not everyone is this lucky.

The first book, Mother Number Zero by Marjolyn Hof was translated from Dutch. This story is actually based on Hof’s own experience of being adopted. This short book is packed with a tremendous amount of feeling on the issue of adoption. It is a wonderful story for the adopted child who does seek out more information on his/her first mother. Or as the author puts it, “All children come out of a belly and nobody can remember that. What’s the difference- one belly or another?” And so begins the journey of Fejzo in looking for his mother zero, since his first mother is number one in his eyes. The story takes place in the Netherlands, which is the home of Fejzo and his family. But his birth mother was a woman who escaped the war in Bosnia. The story isn’t just about Fejzo but also about his older sister, Bing, who was also adopted but from China. Her story is different in that she can’t find her mother number zero because she was abandoned. We mostly follow Fejzo’s journey to locate his birth mother but the emotions that his sister Bing has also ring true to the reader. This is truly an original story that is both touching and thoughtful. I think it is a great addition to literature on adoption. (Grades 5-8). 

My next read was about the unimaginable, the death of a parent and sister. Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur is a remarkable story of love, loss and courage from the point of a view of an 11 year-old girl. Aubrey’s life has been turned upside down by a tragic accident where she loses her father and sister. Unfortunately after the accident Aubrey’s mother becomes emotionally unstable to care for Aubrey so she must move to Vermont to live with her grandmother. Aubrey learns with the help of her grandmother how to express her feelings and thoughts and move on with her life to find happiness.

This is a wonderful story about a young girl who learns about the healing powers of friendship, love and wonderful memories. This is the author’s first story and it is very powerful in that she truly captures the real emotions of a young child who has suffered a terrible loss and learns how to cope to move on with her life. I think we can look forward to many more books by this wonderful author. (Grades 5-8).