Books on children's grief
What the Dog Saw
BY MARK WORTHING
An exceptional book, sharing the story of a troubled boy as seen through the eyes of his Labrador, Baxter. While there is much that Baxter sees that worries him, there are also moments of humour and joy. Baxter loves playing with his boy and is always ready to listen to him, but he also worries about his boy, and wonders if even the loyalty and friendship of a Labrador will be enough to help him. This endearing story will make you smile, cry, think and learn.
Everybody Hurts Sometimes
BY LOIS TONKIN
A very popular guide to support and encourage grieving children and teenagers. The book is easy to read, with entertaining cartoon illustrations and simple explanations about the manifestations of grief. Aimed to inform young people about the grief process and normalise their feelings.
Grief Girl
BY ERIN VINCENT
Grief Girl is the story of what happened to Erin and her two siblings when a speeding tow truck killed their parents when Erin was 14. It is a story of grief, but it is also a story of humour, hope and eventual triumph, as Erin focuses not on what happens to you, but what you do with it. As Erin says... "I want to show kids and teens you can overcome adversity; that your circumstances don't have to determine your whole life - you have a choice. For me that choice was my education. I knew that if I did well at school I could have the life I dreamed of."
Grief In Children - A Handbook For Adults
ATLE DYREGROW
Grief in Children explains children's understanding of death at different ages and provides information on how the adults around them can best help them cope. Weather a child experiences the death or loss of a friend, family member, classmate or teacher, it is important for those caring for a bereaved child to know how to respond to their needs.
How It Feels When A Parent Dies
BY JILL KREMENTZ
This collection of moving statements by eighteen bereaved children, in their own words, will be deeply valuable to other bereaved children - and also to the surviving parent and relatives. It will comfort them deeply to hear how others have gone through the same loss. In fact, this book will be revealing and rewarding for all parents, even if there has been no tragedy, because it will help them to understand their own children's everyday feeling.
I Don't Want To Go!
BY NIKI BURTON
Clae is a brave nine year old boy who wishes his parents would reunite. Every school holidays he travels to stay with his Dad. Before each visit Clae is sad, excited, anxious and happy - all at the same time. He loves and misses his Dad; but he doesn't want to leave his Mum. Both Clae's parents love him but everyone is affected by the family's separation.
The tale of a child who comes to realise that regardless of his family dynamics: he is loved by both of his parents.
Motherless Daughters
BY HOPE EDELMAN
Hope Edelman's Motherless Daughters explores the myriad ways that losing a mother can affect almost every aspect and passage of a woman's life. First published a decade ago, it is still the book that motherless daughters of all ages look to for understanding, comfort and that they press into each other's hands. Building on interviews with hundreds of mother- loss survivors, this life-affirming book is now newly expanded to reflect the author's personal experience with the continued legacy of mother loss. Now married and a mother of young children herself, Edelman better understands how the effects of mother loss change over time and in light of new relationships.
Mum Moments: Journey Through Grief
BY JUDY TAYLOR
When Judy’s mother died she was thrown into a new world of emotions.
She found herself on a raw and confronting rollercoaster of feelings which completely took her by surprise. She felt vulnerable and unsure as she resisted and in time embraced grief and all its complexities.
By writing her feelings down, no matter how raw or painful, she found a way to ride those waves of grief.
As she shared her journal with friends and colleagues she was touched that her words had a profound healing affect on those dealing with the death of a loved one.
The “Mum Moments – Journey Through Grief” journal is now available to help you deal with your loss and recognise you are not alone.
On Children And Death
BY ELISABETH KÜBLER-ROSS
On Children and Death is a major addition to the classic works of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, whose On Death and Dying and Living with Death and Dying has been a continuing source of strength and solace for tens of millions of devoted readers worldwide. Based on a decade of working with dying children, this compassionate book offers the families of dead and dying children the help -- and hope -- they need to survive. In warm, simple language, Dr. Kübler-Ross speaks directly to the fears, doubts, anger, confusion, and anguish of parents confronting the terminal illness or sudden death of a child.
Red Chocolate Elephants
BY HELEN ROSEN
Created as an assisted reading and activity book, Red Chocolate Elephants is designed to encourage discussion with young children about the unique experience of grief through suicide bereavement. The book features interactive activities to explore feelings, identify grief responses and encourage a sense of normalcy in the child's experience of grief. For use with or without the accompanying DVD, this kit is ideal for children of primary school age for use with a supportive adult including parents, relatives, teachers and counsellors.
Teenagers And Grief
BY DORIS ZAGDANSKI
Teenagers and Grief is a superb guide for teenagers and parents alike. Parents will find ways to help their children by showing them how to cope with loss and helping them to express their grief, thoughts and feelings. There is also critical information on when parents need to seek urgent outside help. Several teenagers express their feelings in the book and these give us an insight into the depths of their grief.
The Grief Book - Strategies For Young People
BY ELIZABETH VERCOE
A book full of practical ideas to help you or somebody you know move through grief. Written in an easy to read, conversational manner, it is compassionate without being patronising.
The Rules Of Inheritance
BY CLAIRE BIDWELL SMITH
At fourteen, Claire Bidwell Smith learns that both her parents have cancer. Her world closes in. She is an only child. One day soon she will be no one's special person. In her first year at college, she loses her mother and she throws herself at life, looking for a way to fill the gaping hole. Romance, alcohol, travel, work, big cities. But through the fog of her pain she becomes close to her father and to an understanding of the fragility and the preciousness of life.
What About Me?
BY GEORGE VLAMAKIS - ILLUSTRATED BY ELISE HURST
Jamie is typical of many children who are the siblings of seriously ill children. He feels left out and confused because his parents have to devote the bulk of their time to his sick sister, Susie. Jamie feels angry and resentful, jealous and sad. Sometimes Jamie 'acts out' to get his parents' attention, other times he withdraws in silence. Jamie is desperate for his parents to understand how he is feeling, and help him find a path forward. He wants nothing more than to feel the unity and closeness of family once again. What About Me? provides a strong message of understanding, love and uniqueness for the sibling. It will help parents understand the feelings of the sibling child and give a healthy re-focus on the family as a unit.
What's Dead Mean?
BY DORIS ZAGDANSKI
In an era filled with change, grief and trauma a revolutionary new approach for children emerges. What's Dead Mean? is a true activity book especially written to help children cope with death. This outstanding work combines drawing and pasting with facilitated talking to help parents, teachers, child care workers, or indeed anyone faced with the challenge of communicating this vital, and often neglected, message to the young.
Where Are You Now?
BY NIKI BURTON
The story of one child who learns to accept the death of a loved one. A heart-warming tale of the transition from heartbreak to PEACE. A confirmation that the people we lose are always in our hearts and memories. A celebration of life and the joy of loving others.