Grief Reading Lists

Below we have a selection of reading lists. Scroll down to view any of the tables (you will need to swipe left and right to view the full table on mobile) or use the buttons below to jump to a specific list.

Bibliotherapy for Bereaved Children (Young Children)

TITLEAUTHORYEARPUBLISHERDESCRIPTION
Nana Upstairs and Nana DownstairsTonsie de Paola1973Puffin BooksDeath of a Grandparent
The Granny ProjectAnna Fine1983Corgi Children’sDeath of a Grandparent
The Heart and The BottleOliver Jeffers2010Harper CollinsLove, Loss and Hope in Grief
Her Mother’s FaceRoddy Doyle2008ScholasticRemembering & Reminiscing a Mother
The Boy Who Didn’t Want To Be SadRob Goldblatt2002Magination PressEmbracing Feelings & Emotions
The Mountains of TibetMordicai Gerstein1987Barefoot BooksLife, Death and the Universe
The Invisible StringPatrice Karst2018Little, Brown, Young ReadersThe Power of Love, Heart & Connection
The Goodbye BoatMary Joslin2010Eerdmans PublishersSaying Goodbye
The Tenth Good Thing About BarneyJudith Viorst1971Prentice HallPets and The Cycle of Life
The Very Best of FriendsMargaret Wild1989Houghton Mifflin HarcourtDeath of a Husband
The Little Match GirlHans Christian Anderson1987Putnam Publishing CompanyLoneliness
Luna’s Red HatEmmi Smid2015Jessica Kingsley PublishersUnderstanding Death through Suicide
Everett Anderson’s GoodbyeLucille Clifton1983Square FishFeelings, Emotions & Remembering
Rafi’s Red Racing CarLouise Moir2017Jessica Kingsley PublishersGrief through Death by Suicide
If Nathan Were HereMary Bahi2000Eerdmans Books for ChildrenGrief through Death of a Friend
The Yellow SuitcaseMeera Sriram2019Penny Candy BooksDeath of Grandmother in Indian Culture
Goodbye MogJudith Kerr2002Harper CollinsDeath of Favourite Pet, and Cycle of Life
Grandad’s IslandBenji Davies2015Simon & SchusterGrief through Death of a Grandad
Polly’s PuffinSarah Gartland1988Frances Lincoln Children’s BooksPotential Loss
FredPosy Simmonds1987Anderson PressDeath of a Pet and Cycle of Life
Are You Sad, Little Bear?Tina Macnaughton2009Lion Children’s BooksLearning to Say Goodbye
Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find YouNancy Tillman2010Feiwel & FriendsThe Gift of Love and Connection
The Fall of Freddie the LeafLeo Buscuglia1982SLACK IncorporatedThe Balance of Life & Death
Stacy Had a Little SisterWendie C Old1995Concept BooksGrief through Cot Death of New Sister
The Sad BookMichael Rosen2004Walker BooksDealing with Sadness & Loneliness
RabbitynessJoe Empson2012Children’s Play International LtdRemembering & Cycle of Life
Why Doesn’t Granny Remember My NameSally Murphy2009Walker BooksGrief through Dementia and, then, Death
The Memory StringEve Bunting2000Clarion BooksGrief through Death of Mother
The Invisible LeashPatricia Karst2019Little, Brown Young ReadersGrief through Death of a Pet
The ScarCharlotte Moundlic2009Candlewick PressGrief through Death of a Mum
Always and ForeverAlan Durant2003Corgi BooksImpact of Death of Fox
The Memory TreeBritta Techentrup2013Orchard BooksValue of Remembering & Reminiscing
Gentle WillowJoyce C Mills1993Magination PressChildren’s Terminal Illness and Anticipatory Grief
Badger’s Parting GiftsSusan Varley1984Anderson PressGrief, Friendship and Value of Memories
Tigger and FriendsDennis Hamley1988Williams Morrow & CoCycle of Life, Connections & Remembering
My Big, Dumb Invisible DragonAngie Lucas2019Sounds True IncLoss of Grief & Complexities of Grief

Bibliotherapy for Bereaved Children (Teenagers)

TITLEAUTHORYEARPUBLISHERDESCRIPTION
Falling Into PlaceAmy Zhang2014Green WillowImpact of Suicide on Friends and Family
Time to Say GoodbyeS. D. Robertson2016AvonGrief through Death of a Mother in a car crash
Just Under The CloudsMelissa Sarno2018YearlingGrief through Death of Father & Value of Family
History Is All You’ve Left MeAdam Silvera2017Simon & Schuster LtdGrief through Death of Gay Teenage Partner
Girl In PiecesKathleen Glasgow2016One World PublicationsMultiple Loss, Grief, Trauma & PTSD
Searching for David’s HeartCherie Bennett1998Scholastic IncorporatedGrief through Accidental Death of a Brother
Letters to the LostBrigid Kemmerer2017BloomsburyWriting Letters for Her Mother’s Grave
I Was HereGayle Forman2015VikingMaking Sense of a Best Friend’s Suicide
Red KayakPriscilla Cummings2004Puffin BooksGrief through Death of a Best Friend
The Year of The RatClare Furniss2014Simon & SchusterGrief through Death of a Mother in Childbirth
A Summer to DieLois Lowry1977Houghton MiffinThe Terminal Illness & Death of a Sister
Lanky LonglegsKarin Lorentzen1982Margaret K McElderry BooksTerminal Illness & Death of Young Brother
Bridge to TerabithiaKatherne Paterson2006Harper EntertainmentGrief through Death of a Best friend
The Fault in The StarsJohn Green2012Penguin BooksTerminal Illness of a Best Friend
The Memory Keeper’s DaughterKim Edwards2005Penguin BooksSilent & Disenfranchised Grief
We Own The SkyLuke Allnutt2018Orion PublishingAnticipatory Grief and Young Terminal Illness
The Thing About JellyfishAli Benjamin2015MacmillanGrief through Best Friend’s Drowning
Vicky AngelJacqueline Wilson2000Random House Children’s BooksGrief through Tragic Death of a Best Friend
Tragic Kind of WonderfulEric Lindstrom2017Harper CollinsGrief through Brother’s Death & Being Bipolar
The Star Outside My WindowOnjali Q Rauf2019Hodder & StoughtonGrief through Death of a Mum
A Pocketful of StarsAisha Bushby2019Egmont UKGrief through Death of a Mother
Thirteen Reasons WhyJay Asher2007Penguin BooksGrief through Suicide of a Best Friend
The Nearest Far Away PlaceHayley Long2017Hot Key BooksGrief through Death of Parents in Road Crash
A Monster CallsPatrick Ness2015Walker BooksAnticipatory Grief and Mother’s Terminal Illness
The Honest TruthDan Gemeinhart2015Scholastic PressAnticipatory Grief & Best Friend’s Terminal Illness
Never Let Me GoKazuo Ishiguro2005Faber & FaberGrief, Sadness & The Fragility of Life
My Sister Lives On The MantelpieceAnnabel Pitcher2011Orion Children’s BooksGrief through Death of an Older Sister
The Truth About ForeverSarah Dessen2004Penguin BooksGrief through Death of a Father
A Taste of BlackberriesDoris Buchanan Smith1973Harper & RowGrief through Death of a Best Friend
Counting by 7sHolly Goldberg Sloan2014Piccadilly PressGrief through Death of Both Parents
Grief GirlErin Vincent2007Delacorte PressGrief through Death of Both Parents
Tears of a TigerSharon M Draper1996Simon & SchusterGrief through Tragic Death of a Best Friend
The Granny ProjectAnna Fine1983Farrar Strauss GirouxFamily Grief through Death of a Grandmother
Lost and Found: Remembering a SisterEllen Yeomans2000Walker BooksGrief through Death of a Sister
If I StayGayle Forman2009VikingGrief through Tragic Death of Parents & Brother
Tiger EyesJudy Blume1981Simon & SchusterGrief through Violent Death of a Father