Please note that these books are in broad age categories, but every child and developmental stage is different especially in relation to bereavement and grief. An older child who has had very little experience with death and grief might benefit from looking through a comforting picture book for example. By and large, (with one major exception we’ll come to later, see highlighted below) children can accept and gain a lot from a story about a grandmother dying when they may have had a father die, or a story about an animal, when it has been a cousin who died. They will appreciate a parent or carer helping to make the links (‘this is a bit like what happened to Mummy, isn’t it?’…) If, however, the child has become very anxious about the surviving parent dying, it may be best to use stories about a mother’s death if a mother has died and so on.
EYFS/KS1
Why do things die? – Katie Daynes
A beautiful and gentle lift-the-flap book that looks at the circle of life, using animals characters to explore the emotions and facts around death, with questions such as Is it ok to talk about dying? What happens when someone dies? Can I shout and cry and hide away? and How can I stop feeling sad? Chinese Version available. Factual
The Colour Monster – Anna Llenas
One day, Colour Monster wakes up feeling very confused. His emotions are all over the place; he feels angry, happy, calm, sad and scared all at once! To help him, a little girl shows him what each feeling means through colour.
Missing Mummy: A book about bereavement – Rebecca Cobb
This book explores the many emotions a bereaved child may experience. And importantly, the book also focuses on the positive – the recognition that the child is still part of a family, and that his memories of his mother are to be treasured.
