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Grief Support Resources

Books

For Families to Read with An Ill Child

  • Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You, by Nancy Tillman
  • Just in Case You Ever Wonder (Christian Belief Foundation), by Max Lucado
  • The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers, by Meaghann Weaver and Lori Wiener
  • The Moon Sees You and Me, by Caleb Burroughs
  • The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn
  • Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs, by Susan Schaefer Bernardo and Courtenay Fletcher

For Toddlers and Preschoolers

  • Fred and Red Say Goodbye, by Austin Schlichtman
  • I Miss You: A First Look at Death, by Pat Thomas
  • Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children, by Bryan Mellonie
  • Someone Came Before You, by Pat Schweibert
  • Something Very Sad Happened: A Toddler’s Guide to Understanding Death, by Bonnie Zucker
  • The Goodbye Book, by Todd Parr
  • The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages, by Leo Buscaglia
  • We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead, by Pat Schweibert
  • Everywhere, Still: A Book about Loss, Grief, and the Way Love Continues, by M.H. Clark
  • We'll Always Share the Moon: A children's book about missing loved ones, sad goodbyes, remembering the giggly times, and big feelings, by Shannon Savory
  • I Miss You: Grief and Mental Health Books for Kids, by Pat Thomas
  • A Hug from Heaven (Christian), by Anna Whiston-Donaldson
  • Water Bugs and Dragonflies (Christian), by Doris Stickney
  • The Moon Sees You and Me, by Caleb Burroughs
  • Maybe Tomorrow?, by Charlotte Agell
  • When Someone Very Special Dies (Drawing Out Feelings), byMarge Heegaard
  • Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs, by Susan Schaefer Bernardo and Courtenay Fletcher
  • You Are Never Alone: An Invisible String Lullaby, by Patrice Karst
  • Sargeant’s Heaven, by Icy Frantz
  • A Terrible Thing Happened- A Story for Children Who Have Witnessed Violence or Trauma, by Margaret Holmes
  • Sad Isn’t Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss, by Michaelene Mundy
  • Where Are You? A Child’s Book About Loss, by Laura Olivieri
  • Badger’s Parting Gifts, by Susan Varley

For School-aged Children

  • Death is Stupid, by Anastasia Higginbotham
  • Fred and Red Say Goodbye, by Austin Schlichtman
  • Gentle Willow: A Story for Children about Dying, by Joyce C. Mills
  • I Miss You: A First Look at Death, by Pat Thomas
  • Ida, Always, by Caron Levis
  • Life is Like The Wind, by Shonna Innes
  • Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children, by Bryan Mellonie
  • My Yellow Balloon, by Tiffany Papageorge
  • Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss, by Chuck DeKlyen and Pat Schwiebert
  • The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages, by Leo Buscaglia
  • The Heart in The Bottle, by Oliver Jeffers
  • The Invisible String, by Patrice Karst
  • The Memory Box: A Book about Grief, by Joanna Rowland
  • The Memory Book: A Grief Journal for Children and Families, by Joanna Rowland
  • The Next Place, by Warren Hanson
  • We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead, by Pat Schweibert
  • When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death, by Laurie Krasny Brown
  • Everywhere, Still: A Book about Loss, Grief, and the Way Love Continues, by M.H. Clark
  • We'll Always Share the Moon: A children's book about missing loved ones, sad goodbyes, remembering the giggly times, and big feelings, by Shannon Savory
  • A Hug from Heaven (Christian), by Anna Whiston-Donaldson
  • Water Bugs and Dragonflies (Christian), by Doris Stickney
  • When Someone Very Special Dies (Drawing Out Feelings), by Marge Heegaard
  • Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies, by Janic Silverman
  • Healing Your Grieving Heart for Kids: 100 Practical Ideas, by Alan Wolfelt 
  • Sad Isn’t Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss, by Michaelene Mundy
  • Where Are You? A Child’s Book About Loss, by Laura Olivieri
  • Badger’s Parting Gifts, by Susan Varley

For Adolescent Readers

  • Death is Stupid, by Anastasia Higginbotham
  • Ida, Always, by Caron Levis
  • My Yellow Balloon, by Tiffany Papageorge
  • The Invisible String, by Patrice Karst
  • The Memory Box: A Book about Grief, by Joanna Rowland
  • Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens 100 Practical Ideas, by Alan D. Wolfelt

For the Entire Family

  • Forever Connected: A Guide for Parents, Activities to Help Build & Maintain Connections with a Dying Parent, by Caitlin Koch
  • The Invisible String Workbook: Creative Activities to Comfort, Calm and Connect, by Patrice Karst and Dana Wyss
  • My Yellow Balloon, by Tiffany Papageorge
  • Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child When a Parent is Sick, by Paula K. Rauch and Anna C. Muriel
  • How to Help Children Through a Parent’s Serious Illness, by Kathleen McCue
  • Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through
  • Children and Mourning/Mourning Children, by Kenneth J. Doka
  • Living When a Loved One Has Died, by Earl A. Grollman
  • Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief, by Martha W. Hickman
  • Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child, by Gary Roe
  • How to Survive the Loss of a Child, by Catherine Sanders
  • The Bereaved Parent, by Harriet S. Schiff 
  • The Next Place, by Warren Handson
  • Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss, by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen
  • The Unspeakable Loss: How Do You Live After a Child Dies, by Nisha Zenoff
  • On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss, by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler
  • Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief, by Joanne Cacciatore and Jeffrey Rubin

Understanding Separation

  • Llama Llama Misses Mama, by Anna Dewdney
  • My Yellow Balloon, by Tiffany Papageorge
  • The Invisible String, by Patrice Karst
  • The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn
  • Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs, by Susan Schaefer Bernardo and Courtenay Fletcher
  • You Go Away, by Dorothy Corey

Managing Uncertainty

  • I Wonder, by Annika Harris

For Adult Readers

  • Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose, by Colin Campbell
  • Normal Broken: A Grief Companion for When It’s Time to Heal But You’re Not Sure You Want To, by Kelly Cervantes
  •  Knowing Jesse:  A Mother’s Story of Grief, Grace, and Everyday Bliss, by Marianne Leone
  •  Markings on the Windowsill: A Book About Grief That’s Really About Hope, by Ronald J. Greer
  • The Unspeakable Loss:  How Do You Live After a Child Dies?, by Nisha Zenoff, PhD

Podcasts

Grief Podcasts

  • All There Is, Anderson Cooper
  • Grief Out Loud, Dougy Center
  • I Don’t Know How You Do It, Jessica Fein
  • Always Andy’s Mom, Marcy Larson, MD

Articles and Journals

Grief Articles and Journals

  • “I Am Trying to See What My Beautiful Daughter Saw,” by Sarah Wildman, The New York Times, August 8, 2023
  • “The Empty Seat at Our Thanksgiving Table,” by Sarah Wildman, The New York Times, November 2023
  • “If You’ve Seen a Fox and I’ve Died, It Will Be Me,” by Sarah Wildman, The New York Times, March 14, 2024
  • “What Joan Nathan Taught Me About the Power of Showing Up,” by Sarah Wildman, The New York Times, May 26, 2024
  • "How Children Understand Death & What You Should Say," by Salek, E. C. & Ginsburg, K. R. healthychildren.org, 2015
  • "Types of Grief," by S. Singg in C. D. Bryant & D. L. Pekc (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience, 2009
     

Websites

Local Websites

National Websites

Hasbro Children's Hospital