The death or absence of a parent is an extremely traumatic experience for a child. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to helping children overcome, cope, or process their feelings in difficult circumstances. instead, you simply have to be there for them in any way possible: listen to their stories, help keep things normal, and be willing to talk to them about what happened in a way that makes sense to them.
You are reading: Children’s books about death of a parent
For some children, their understanding of the difference between the absence of a parent and the loss of one is confusing. they can only feel what they are feeling: that the father they loved is gone. If you’re in the middle of this experience with a little one, these eleven books can help your child cope with his feelings. they sensitively deal with death, divorce, and loss, and give the child the affirmation he needs that it’s okay to cry, be angry, and be sad. so many kids think they have to forget about their parents to move on and are terrified of doing so. these books are subtle enough to help your child learn coping skills without making them feel like they’re being forced.
Author Julia Alvarez explores death, life, love, and pain in this lyrical picture book.
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Woodcut artist Sabra Field, whose prints Álvarez discovered in the library while looking for Goya art books, illustrated the words with stunning visceral imagery.
Alvarez says he wrote this story after he started “losing a lot of the people I love. one of the hard things about coming from a culture where your extended family is considered your ‘core’ family is that you don’t just lose a couple of parents, a couple of aunts and uncles, but dozens and dozens of aunts, uncles, godmothers , godparents, grandmothers, grandparents. a whole flank of the family is suddenly gone.”
There is also a Spanish edition of this book, where is it going?
Todd Parr, one of our family’s favorite picture book authors, wrote and illustrated this book about grief and loss without mentioning the word “death.” Because this story is told through the voice of a fish, it could be the perfect way for young children to relate to the loss of someone. say, a parent moving across the country during a divorce. or a mother who recently died.
In the end, Parr comforts his readers with the reminder that “there will always be someone to love you and hold you.”
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The old tortoise was a good friend and a teacher who helped others. “He made his world a better place. / when he finished, the ocean took him back.” on the day of his death, “he swam his last swim and breathed his last.”
just like parr’s book, the word “death” is not found in this story. a smooth story with beautiful illustrations, no mention of religion.
gus and ida spend every day together, even after ida gets sick. they snuggle and comfort each other until ida’s terminal illness takes her life. Santoso’s paintings add so much to this beautiful story of love, pain, and loss, and Levis ends on a hopeful note.
Joanna Rowland, a kindergarten teacher, shows readers that grief isn’t always linear. you will have some good days and some very sad ones. Thea Baker has illustrated this book with mixed media collages of fabric and textured papers. There’s a parenting guide at the end of the book with information from a Christian perspective on helping children grieve after losing a loved one, as well as tips on creating your own memory box.
What books have your little ones found helpful in times of loss?
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