SJPL Picks: Tough Topics - Loss and GriefLike this list

31 items

• The Laugh

  Evans, Fay,

  Add The Laugh to your for later shelf

  A little girl loves her mother's laugh, but after her mother dies, she fears she will never hear the laugh again.

• An Ofrenda for Perro

  Valdés B., Judith,

  Add An Ofrenda for Perro to your for later shelf

  Benito loves Perro. But when Perro passes away, Benito is heartbroken. During the Day of the Dead celebration, he tries to understand the meaning of the flores de cempasuchil, candles, pan de muertos, photographs, and sharing memories of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Goodbye, Balloon

  Ciccio, Adam

  Add Goodbye, Balloon to your for later shelf

  Letting go and loss can be difficult to comprehend. Goodbye Balloon will help you understand these emotions and give you insights to deal with them.

• Good-bye, Bear

  Chapman, Jane, 1970-

  Add Good-bye, Bear to your for later shelf

  Bear died on a Friday, while sunlight speckled the grass and caterpillars nibbled leaves in the forest. Beaver and Mole, two of Bear's friends, return some of bear's belongings to his tree house, not quite understanding why their friend is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dadaji's Paintbrush

  Sirdeshpande, Rashmi,

  Add Dadaji's Paintbrush to your for later shelf

  Once, in a tiny village in India, there was a young boy who loved to paint. He lived with his grandfather, who taught him to paint with his fingers, to make paints from marigolds and brushes made from jasmine flowers. Sometimes, the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Tunnel

  Howden, Sarah,

  Add The Tunnel to your for later shelf

  After something bad happens, a child has trouble connecting with those around him. His loved ones try to reach out and talk to him, but he only feels like running away.

• Bear Island

  Cordell, Matthew, 1975-

  Add Bear Island to your for later shelf

  Louise and her family are sad over the loss of their beloved dog, Charlie. "Life will not be the same," Louise says, as she visits a little island that Charlie loved. But on a visit to the island after Charlie's death, something strange…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• With a Butterfly's Wings

  López Ávila, Pilar, 1969-

  Add With a Butterfly's Wings to your for later shelf

  A grandmother and her granddaughter explore together the secrets of nature and forge a bond that will live out forever. With Butterfly's Wings is a tender story about a girl who loses her beloved grandmother finds comfort in remembering…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Where Lily Isn't

  Paschkis, Julie,

  Add Where Lily Isn't to your for later shelf

  Lily ran and jumped and barked and whimpered and growled and wiggled and wagged and licked and snuggled. But not now. It is hard to lose a pet. There is sadness, but also hope--for a beloved pet lives on in your heart, your memory, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Miss My Grandpa

  Xiaojing, Jin,

  Add I Miss My Grandpa to your for later shelf

  Also available as an eBook. A child asks different family members about her late grandfather and learns of his characteristics through the features he passed down to his children and grandchildren.

• Ladder to the Moon

  Soetoro-Ng, Maya, 1970-

  Add Ladder to the Moon to your for later shelf

  Available as an eBook. Also available in Spanish, as a print book and eBook. Suhaila's wish to know her deceased grandmother is granted when a golden ladder appears at her window and Grandma Annie invites her on a journey to the Moon,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lifetimes

  a Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children

  Mellonie, Bryan

  Add Lifetimes to your for later shelf

  "Lets us explain life and death in a sensitive, caring, beautiful way. Tells us about beginnings. And about endings. And about living in between. With large, wonderful illustrations, it tells about plants. About animals. About people. It…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When Dinosaurs Die

  a Guide to Understanding Death

  Brown, Laurene Krasny

  Add When Dinosaurs Die to your for later shelf

  Explains in simple language the feelings people may have regarding the death of a loved one and the ways to honor the memory of someone who has died.

• Big Cat, Little Cat

  Cooper, Elisha,

  Add Big Cat, Little Cat to your for later shelf

  Also available as an eBook. A simply illustrated explanation of the circle of life and death.

• Saying Goodbye to Lulu

  Demas, Corinne

  Add Saying Goodbye to Lulu to your for later shelf

  When her dog Lulu dies, a girl grieves but then continues with her life.

• Ida, Always

  Levis, Caron

  Add Ida, Always to your for later shelf

  A polar bear grieves over the loss of his companion, based on the real-life Gus and Ida of New York's Central Park Zoo.

• Missing Mommy

  Cobb, Rebecca

  Add Missing Mommy to your for later shelf

  The story of a young boy who is grieving the death of his mother, as his father helps him through the many emotions he feels in his grief.

• The Dead Bird

  Brown, Margaret Wise, 1910-1952,

  Add The Dead Bird to your for later shelf

  When they find a dead bird, a group of children bury it in the woods, sing a song to it, and put flowers on the grave.

• The Heart and the Bottle

  Jeffers, Oliver

  Add The Heart and the Bottle to your for later shelf

  After safeguarding her heart in a bottle hung around her neck, a girl finds the bottle growing heavier and her interest in things around her becoming smaller.

• Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You

  My Love Will Find You

  Tillman, Nancy

  Add Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You to your for later shelf

  Children feel the reassuring love of their parents no matter where they go or what they do.