December 2nd to 8th is Grief Awareness Week. Grief and loss are difficult concepts for young children to understand but stories can help them explore the feelings and emotions that accompany the loss of a loved one or a well loved pet.
We‘ve chosen picture books that can stimulate conversations and help children talk about how they feel after a bereavement or loss. These stories intertwine heartbreak with hope and can support children as they deal with differing emotions at a difficult time.
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The River by Tom Percival
The River, an emotive story about friendship, healing and kindness, uses imagery to help children deal with grief.
The frozen river represents Rowan’s grief after the death of his beloved pet dog. Poignant images show the situation unfold, the dog’s death is only shown in the illustrations and not mentioned in the text. It’s a fabulous example of how words and pictures can work together to tell a story and shows that often images can be more powerful than words.
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Rabbityness by Jo Empson
Rabbityness acknowledges loss in a way that a child can understand although it doesn’t specifically explain where Rabbit has gone.
In Rabbityness the use of colour is symbolic and represents different emotions, white space and muted greens for when Rabbit is doing rabbity things and wonderful splashes of colour when he’s painting and enjoying himself. But suddenly the colour is gone and everything is grey and black until gradually the other rabbits start to remember their friend and the colour returns.
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The Hare-Shaped Hole by John Dougherty & Thomas Docherty
The Hare-Shaped Hole sensitively deals with the subject of grief and loss. This beautifully illustrated, rhyming picture book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming and can support a child who is grieving the loss of a loved one.
Bertle and Hertle have a wonderful friendship and when Hertle has gone we feel Bertle’s pain. We empathise with the little turtle as he experiences disbelief, sadness and anger while trying to make sense of the massive hare-shaped hole in his life. But Gerda, an older bear, helps Bertle come to terms with his loss and encourages him to talk about his happy memories with Hertle.
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Dadaji’s Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande & Ruchi Mhasane
Dadaji’s Paintbrush is a poignant and heartwarming picture book which sensitively explores the subject of bereavement. It’s a beautifully illustrated story of family love and loss which is intertwined with creativity and hope.
Dadaji is a kind and caring grandfather who loves to paint. But when Dadaji is gone his grandson locks Dadaji’s special paintbrush away, it’s a painful reminder of his loss. But as time goes by Dadaji’s grandson realises he can use Dadaji’s paintbrush and continue his grandfather’s legacy through his own art.
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Remembering Sundays with Grandpa by Lauren Kerstein & Nanette Regan
Remembering Sundays with Grandpa is a heartwarming story about bereavement. Sensitively written, it can help a child work through their grief after the loss of a grandparent or another special person.
Mom tells Henry that Grandpa’s body was fragile but his love will live on forever. As Henry’s Sunday with Mom unfolds they share different memories of Grandpa and create a new Sunday tradition that helps to keep his memories of Grandpa alive.
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The Garden of Hope by Isabel Otter & Katie Rewse
The Garden of Hope tells the story of how Maya and her father learn to cope in the absence of Maya’s mother. It is unclear why Maya’s mum is no longer with her which leaves the story open to interpretation and helps children deal with different kinds of loss.
Despite his own grief, Maya’s father helps her find a way to deal with her emotions. Planting her worries along with the seeds ultimately gives her hope but also gives her a purpose. By the end of the story Maya has hope and a beautiful garden.
Do you have any picture book recommendations to help children come to terms with grief and loss? Author Clare Helen Welsh has more recommendations on her Books That Help website.
Thank you to author Donna Lambo-Weidner for recommending Bird is Dead by Tiny Fisscher and Herma Starreveld translated by Laura Watkinson.
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