|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| RELATED PAGES: About the PYM Library · Index of Booklists · Distant Borrowing |
|---|
Picture Books
Alexander, Sue. NADIA THE WILLFUL. Pantheon, 1983. 48p., ill. When her favorite brother disappears in the desert forever, Nadia refuses to let him be forgotten, dispite her father’s bitter decree that his name shall not be uttered.
Aliki. THE TWO OF THEM. Greenwillow, 1979. 30p., ill. Describes the relationship of a grandfather and his graddaughter from her birth until his death.
Bernstein, Joanne E. WHEN PEOPLE DIE. Dutton, 1977. 40p., ill. Explains in simple terms the reasons for death, theories on afterlife, burial practices, grief, and the naturalness of death in the chain of life.
Carrick, Carol. THE ACCIDENT. Seabury, 1976. 32p., ill. After his dog is hit by a truck and killed, Christopher must deal with his own feelings of depression and guilt.
Caseley, Judith. WHEN GRANDPA CAME TO STAY. 1986. When Grandpa comes to his house to stay, Benny enjoys his company and helps him cope with Grandma's death. (coping)
Clifton, Lucille. EVERETT ANDERSON’S GOOD-BYE. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983. 28p., ill. Everett has a difficult time dealing with the death of his father.
Coutant, Helen. FIRST SNOW. Random House, 1974. 30p., ill. With the help of her grandmother and the first snow she has ever seen, a little Vietnamese girl begins to understand how death can be accepted as a natural part of life.
DeClements, Barthe. THE FOURTH GRADE WIZARDS. Penguin Group, 1988. 122p. After her mother dies, Marianne becomes a daydreamer and begins to fall behind in her schoolwork. (parent)
dePaola, Tomie. NANA UPSTAIRS AND NANA DOWNSTAIRS. Putnam, 1973. Age 3-7. A small boy enjoys visiting both his aged great grandmother upstairs and grand-mother downstairs. Both die eventually and the small boy grows up. (grandparent)
Goble, Paul. BEYOND THE RIDGE. Bradbury, 1989. 27p., ill. AT her death, an elderly Plains Indian woman experiences the afterlife believed in by her people, while the surviving family members prepare her body for burial according to their customs.
Gould, Deborah. GRANDPA'S SLIDE SHOW. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1987. Whenever they visit Grandpa, Sam and Douglas always watch a slide show. After Grandpa dies, they watch the show to remember him. (grandparent)
Hogan, Bernice. MY GRANDMOTHER DIED — BUT I WON’T FORGET HER. Abingdon, 1983. 16p., ill.
Johnston, Tony. YONDER. Dial, 1988. 32p., ill. As the plum tree changes in the passing seasons, so do the lives of a three generation farm family.
Kantrowitz, Mildred. WHEN VIOLET DIED. Parents’ Magazine, 1973. 32p., ill. Saddened by her pet’s death, Eva thinks of a way to make life go on forever.
Kubler-Ross, Elizabeth. A LETTER TO A CHILD WITH CANCER. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Center, 1979. 13p., illus. Kubler-Ross's response to a nine-year-old's questions: What is life? What is death? Why do young children have to die?
London, Jonathan. LIPLAP’S WISH. Chronicle, 1994. 26p., ill. As he builds a snowbunny, Liplap feels something is missing and wishes his grandmother who died recently could be with him.
Mellonie, Bryan. LIFETIMES: A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN DEATH TO CHILDREN. Bantam, 1983. 40p., ill. Briefly describes the beginnings and endings of life for plants, animals, insects and people.
Miles, Miska. ANNIE AND THE OLD ONE. Little Brown, 1971. 44p., ill. A Navajo girl unravels a day’s weaving on a rug whose completion, she believes, will mean the death of her grandmother.
Otsuka, Yuzo. SUHO AND THE WHITE HORSE, A LEGEND OF MONGOLIA. Viking, 1982. All ages. In this Mongolian legend a young man overcomes his grief at the death of his horse. (pet)
Patterson, Francine. KOKO'S KITTEN. Scholastic, 1985. All ages. Photographic essay about gorilla named Koko whose adopted kitten friend dies and how this animal expressed her grief. (pet)
Rylant, Cynthia. DOG HEAVEN. Blue Sky, 1995. 34p., ill. Light-hearted fantasy about what dog heaven might be like.
Stoddard, Sandol. GROWING TIME. Houghton Mifflin, 1969. 44p., ill. When his old dog dies, Jamie learns that death is not always what it appears to be.
Taha, Karen T. A GIFT FOR TIA ROSA. Dielon Pr., 1986. Gr. 2-4. Carmela, a little Mexican girl, loves her elderly neighbor who has taught her how to knit. She is grief-striken when her neighbor dies but finds a way to pass on the love she has received. (friend)
Thomas, Ianthe. HI, MRS. MALLORY. Harper & Row, 1979. Age. 4-8. This is the story about the love between a young girl and an old woman which surmounts barriers of age, race, economics and even death. They are able to care for each other, help each other and bring each other joy. (friendship/coping)
Thomas, Jane Resh. SAYING GOOD-BYE TO GRANDMA. Houghton Mifflin, 1988. 48p., illus. Seven-year-old Suzie is curious and fearful about what Grandma's funeral will be like. (grandparent)
Varley, Susan. BADGER'S PARTING GIFTS. Lothrop, 1984. Gr. 1-3. Badger's friends are sad when he dies, but they treasure the legacies he left them. (legacy)
Viorst, Judith. THE TENTH GOOD THING ABOUT BARNEY. Atheneum, 1974.
Wilhelm, Hans. I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. Crown, 1985. 29p., illus. A child's sadness at the death of a beloved dog is tempered by the remembrance of saying every night, "I'll always love you." (pet)
Chapter Books
Babbitt, Natalie. TUCK EVERLASTING. Farrar-Straus Giroux, 1981. Gr. 3-5. Winnie comes to terms with death in a novel way with the help of the Tuck family who have magical power over death. (coping)
Blume, Judy. TIGER EYES. Bradbury, 1981. Age 12 and up. In this young adult novel, Davey learns to cope with her feelings following her father's violent death. (accident/parent)
Boyd, Candy Dawson. BREADSTICKS AND BLESSING PLACES. Macmillan, 1985. A 12-year-old black girl's preparations for the King Academy entrance exam are disrupted when her best friend is killed. (violent/friend)
Byars, Betsy. GOODBY, CHICKEN LITTLE. Harper, 1979. Age 10 and up. Jimmie's father died accidentally and since then the world seemed full of scary accidents making Jimmie feel like Chicken Little. Then when Uncle Peter fell through the hole in the ice, it took Jimmie a while to realize that he didn't have to feel responsible for the drowning. (accident/parent)
Coburn, John B. ANNE AND THE SAND DOBBIES: A STORY ABOUT DEATH FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS. Seabury, 1964.
Cohen, Barbara. THANK YOU, JACKIE ROBINSON. Lothrop, 1988. 126p., ill. Boy takes a ball autographed by Jackie Robinson to his father’s death bed.
Doyle, Brian. UP TO LOW. Douglas and McIntire, 1992. 116p. Two young people learn a lesson about life from Mean Hughie who is dying of cancer.
Fairless, Caroline. HAMBONE. Tundra, 1980. Age 8-12. Longer than a picture book and shorter than a novel, this first-person story makes good reading aloud. Jeremy's many hurts (the death of his pet pig, his mother's desertion, his father's insensitivity) are treated gently. (abandonment)
Graeber, Charlotte Towner. MUSTARD. Macmillan, 1982. Gr. 3-5. 8-year-old Alex and his family try to come to terms with the old age and death of their beloved cat. (pet)
Gravelle, Karen. TEENAGERS FACT TO FACE WITH BEREAVEMENT. Julian Messner, 1989. YA Young people express feeligns of pain, anger and guilt as they come to terms with the death of a parent, sibling or close friend.
Greenberg, Jan. A SEASON IN-BETWEEN. Farrar, 1979. Gr. 6-8. At a time when her life is consumed by the exhausting task of growing up, Carrie's stable home life is drastically altered. (sudden)
Hamilton, Virginia. COUSINS. Philomel, 1990. 125p. Concerned that her grandmother may die, Cammy is unprepared for the accidental death of another relative. (family/accident)
Jukes, Mavis. BLACKBERRIES IN THE DARK. Alfred Knopf, 1985. Gr. 3-5. 9-year-old Austin visits his grandmother the summer after his grandfather dies and together they try to come to terms with their loss. (grandparent/coping)
Kater, John. THE LETTER OF JOHN TO JAMES. Seabury, 1981. 60p., ill. A clergyman’s letter to a little boy, answering his questions about the nature of heaven and hell, the devil, and life after death.
Klein, Stanley. THE FINAL MYSTERY. Doubleday, 1974. 85p., ill. Explores the meaning of death, how people of different times, regions and religions have coped with it, and the progress and effects of the war waged against it by researchers, physicians and scientists.
Krementz, Jill. HOW IT FEELS WHEN A PARENT DIES. Knopf, 1983. 18 children, age 7-16, speak of their experiences or feelings when either a father or mother has died. (parent)
Lee,Virginia. THE MAGIC MOTH. Seabury, 1972. 63p., ill. When 10-year-old Maryanne dies, six-year-old Mark and the rest of the family become a little wiser about death..
L’Engle, Madeleine. MEET THE AUSTINS. Dell, 1981. 192p. Austins’ family suddenly distrupted by a sullen girl orpened by the sudden death of her father.
L'Engle, Madeleine. A RING OF ENDLESS LIGHT. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1980. Age 11 and up. Entertaining story about the popular Austin family, dealing with the theme of death as encountered in the life of 15-year-old Vicky. Her grandfather has terminal cancer, a dolphin dies, a peer attempts suicide. L'Engle is always supportive of traditional moral standards and religious values.
LeShan, Eda. LEARNING TO SAY GOOD-BY: WHEN A PARENT DIES. Macmillan, 1976. 85p., ill. Discusses the questions, fears and fantasies many children experience when a parent or someone close to them dies.
Lichtman, Wendy. BLEW AND THE DEATH OF THE MAG. Freestone, 1975. 66p., ill. Blew tries to cope with the death of her mother who always made everything magnificent.
Mahy, Margaret. MEMORY. Macmillan, 1987. YA On the fifth anniversary of his older sister's death, 19-year-old Jonny Dart, troubled by feelings of guilt and an imperfect memory of the event, goes in search of the only other witness to the fatal accident and finds a way to free himself from the past. (sibling/accident)
Maple, Marilyn. ON THE WINGS OF A BUTTERFLY; A STORY ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH. Parenting Pr., 1992. n.p., illus. A dying child befriends a caterpillar who later emerges from its chrysalis when the child dies.
Martin, Ann M. WITH YOU AND WITHOUT YOU. Holiday House, 1986. YA A 12-year-old faces the fact that her father is dying, and then his death, but dealing with the emptiness afterwards is hardest of all. (parent)
Mazer, Norma Fox. AFTER THE RAIN. Morrow, 1987. YA After discovering her grandfather is dying, 15-year-old Rachel gets to know him better than ever before and finds the experience bittersweet. (grandparent)
Moore, Ruth Nulton. DANGER IN THE PINES. Herald Pr., 1983. Gr. 5-8. Unhappy with his mother's choice of a new friend so soon after his father's tragic death, 14-year-old Jeff comes to terms with life while lost in the labyrinthine New Jersey Pines. (parent)
Morris, Gunilla Brodde. FRIENDSHIP HEDGE. Dutton, 1973. 46p., ill. Alice’s determination to teach her best friend a lesson about the guinea pig that has come between them leads to a painful lesson for both girls.
Orgel, Doris. MULBERRY MUSIC. Harper & Row, 1971. 130p., ill. An 11-year-old girl comes to realize her grandmother is dying.
Orgel, Doris. WHISKERS ONCE AND ALWAYS. Viking, 1986. Gr. 3-5. A girl struggles to come to terms with the death of her cat. (pet)
Peck, Richard. DREAMLAND LAKE. Avon, 1973. Age 12 and up. A dead man found in the woods by the lake starts a chain of events that teaches the two boys the meaning of friendship and forces them to face the death of a peer, which perhaps they caused. (accident/friend)
Pringle, Lawrence P. DEATH IS NATURAL. Four Winds, 1977. 54p., ill. Asimple discussion of death as it applies to the plant and animal kingdom.
Rylant, Cynthia. MISSING MAY. Orchard, 1992. 89p. 12-year-old Summer and her uncle cope with the death of her aunt.
Savitz, Harriet May. WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW. NAL Signet, 1981. Gr. 7-10. A teenage boy copes with the death of his mother, his handicapped grandfather, and his love for an anti-nuclear activist. (parent)
Slote, Alfred. HANG TOUGH PAUL MATHER. Age 10 and up. Paul Mather has the best arm in the Little League, and leukemia. He knows he will die and admits fear but with the help of doctor and family finds the courage to hang tough. (child)
Smith, Doris Buchanan. A TASTE OF BLACKBERRIES. Crowell, 1973. 58p., ill. A young boy recounts his efforts to adjust to the accidental death of his best friend.
White, E. B. CHARLOTTE’S WEB. Harper & Row, 1952. 184p. ill. Wilbur the pig fears death (by becoming Christmas dinner) until his friend Charlotte the spider helps him.
Life After Death — Children’s Books
Aim, Herbert Spencer. LIFE AND DEATH. Morrow, 1970. 63p., ill. Discusses the physical facts, customs, and attitudes surrounding human life and death.
Gerstein, Mordicai. THE MOUNTAINS OF TIBET. Harper & Row, 1987. 32p., ill. Picture book. After dying, a woodcutter is given the choice of going to heaven or living another life anywhere in the universe. Delightful little book.
Hanson, Warren. THE NEXT PLACE. Waldman House, 1997. 38p., ill. Unique little picture book which leads the mind to outer space and detachment from earthly woes, and into meditation with a non-personal sense of God as immense and eternal love, possibly useful for discussing what happens when we die.
Skeie. Eyvind. SUMMERLAND. Brethran, 1989. A child travels through the Dark Valley which is death and emerges into the summer meadow of the afterlife, where she meets Jesus and experiences his comfort and love.
Zolowtow, Charlotte. WHO IS BEN? HarperCollins, 1997. 24p., ill. Picture book. On a moonless, starless night, a young boy feels at one with the darkness, thinking where he came from before he was born, and where he will go after he dies.
For Adults to Read to Help Them Talk to Children About Death
Dodd, Robert V. HELPING CHILDREN COPE WITH DEATH. Herald Press, 1984. (coping)
Grollman Earl A. TALKING ABOUT DEATH: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN PARENT AND CHILD. Beacon, 1990. 118p., ill.
Hermes, Patricia. A TIME TO LISTEN; PREVENTING YOUTH SUICIDE. Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1987. YA Carefully edited transcripts of interviews with teenagers about their experiences relating to suicide. (suicide)
Jewett, Claudia L. HELPING CHILDREN COPE WITH SEPARATION AND LOSS. Harvard Common Pr., 1982. The author provides direct and practical means of addressing the child's need at a time when the parent's own grief and uncertainty cloud his or her judgement of how best to approach the equally bewildered child. (coping)
Stein, Sara Bonnett. ABOUT DYING: AN OPEN FAMILY BOOK FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN TOGETHER. Walker, 1974. 47p., ill. A guide that provides suggestions for ways parents can help children understand and cope with death.
Watts, Richard G. STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT DEATH WITH YOUNG PEOPLE. Westminster, 1975. 92p., ill.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM