Tough Topics: Death in the FamilyLike this list

26 items

• I'll Say Goodbye

  Zollman, Pam,

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  A young girl loves spending time with her Uncle Mike on the beach until he gets cancer. Then Uncle Mike dies and the girl grieves, but she finds a way to say goodbye and move forward.

• The Boy and the Gorilla

  Azúa Kramer, Jackie,

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  A young boy who has just lost his mother must find a way to deal with the grief. He imagines his grief as a gorilla who comes along and helps him work through his feelings about loss and remembering his mother.

• Mouseboat

  Theule, Larissa,

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  A young girl is unmoored after the death of her mother, and her father tries his best, but it's not the same. The girl and her father go to their lake house, where the girl longs for a connection to her mother.

• The Pond

  Davies, Nicola, 1958-

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  A young boy tries to cope with the death of his father through the creation of a pond in his yard that his father always dreamed of having. Beautiful and soothing.

• The Green Baby Swing

  King, Thomas, 1943-

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  After Nana dies, Xavier and his mother begin cleaning out her attic. Though Xavier doesn't want Nana to be gone, his mother tells him they'll keep her alive in their memories. As they go through the boxes, they also sort through their memories.

• Our Spot

  Ward, Lindsay,

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  On Thursdays, a girl and her father visit their favorite spot: a fishing hole their mother found for them years ago. Though she is no longer with them, the two continue the tradition, sharing the comfort of memories and silence before returning home.

• See You on the Other Side

  Montez Minor, Rachel,

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  A picture book with simple, rhyming text that offers children comfort that even though our loved ones are gone, we can still feel them, and we will reunite with them again on the other side.

• Rainbow Letters

  a Book for Rainbow Babies

  Kelley, Ceece,

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  Rhyming text and colorful illustrations follow a guardian angel sibling as she sews a hopeful message into the swaddle of her family's newborn, a rainbow baby (a baby born after the parents lost their previous child in pregnancy or infancy).

• You'll Find Me

  Hill, Amanda Rawson,

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  Illustrations and easy-to-read text highlight ways to find reminders of loved ones in everyday actions, even after they are gone.

• Always Sisters

  a Story of Loss and Love

  Mir, Saira,

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  With the help of her family, friends and school counselor, Raya finds a way to grieve the loss of her unborn sister, Nura, and to share the love she will always feel for her.

• The Laugh

  Evans, Fay,

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  A little girl grows up with a lady with the biggest, loveliest laugh in the world. There were belly laughs, secret laughs and quiet giggles. When the lady dies, and the girl thinks she took laughter with her. Then, one day, the laugh comes back.

• Bigger Than a Dream

  Aerts, Jef, 1972-

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  A boy hears the voice of his deceased sister and asks his mother about death. His mother explains that death is like everything going quiet and like a dream. Later, the boy dreams of being with his sister, and she answers more questions for him.

• Popi's All Souls Song

  Malone, C. K.,

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  Tender, beautiful story of a young girl missing her grandfather and realizing that grief is unique to all.

• My Life With Losing a Sibling

  Schuh, Mari C., 1975-

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  A real girl named Peyton, who loves art and makeup, describes her brother Carter, whom she lost to cancer.

• Moonlight Memories

  Davis, Amanda,

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  After the loss of her mother, Piper feels empty inside. Seeing her grief, her father gives her a telescope, and through it, Piper finds a way to explore memories of her mother.

• All From a Walnut

  Paquette, Ammi-Joan,

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  Following a family tradition, Grandpa gives Emilia a walnut, and they plant and care for it together. But as her little nut grows into a tree, Grandpa begins to slow down until one sad day, Emilia has to say goodbye.

• Dear Star Baby

  Newsome, Malcolm,

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  After his mother tells him the baby she was expecting went to be with the stars, a young boy writes a letter to his unborn sibling describing the things he was looking forward to doing together.

• The Dreams We Made

  Bentley, Lisa, 1985-

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  When a little girl's daddy dies, she feels confused, sad and even mad. But with some time and help from Mommy, the little girl begins building dreams again and finds a way to take her daddy with her everywhere she goes.

• The Bird Feeder

  Larsen, Andrew, 1960-

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  A young boy and his grandmother bond over bird watching. When his grandmother gets sick and moves into hospice, the boy brings the birds to his grandmother. After she passes away, the boy watches birds on a feeder outside his room and remembers her.

• The Memory Box

  a Book About Grief

  Rowland, Joanna,

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  A young girl struggles with grief over losing a loved one and the fear that she might forget them, and she creates a memory box. Includes tips for adults to help children work through their grief over the death of someone they love.