Preschool Aged Children
- Brown, Margaret Wise. (1958) The Dead Bird. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley. In simple words and pictures this book helps children understand the reactions of a group of children to the death of a bird. (Fiction)
- De Paola, Tommie. (1973) Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs. New York: Putnam, 1973. This story describes the death of a great-grandmother (Nana Upstairs) while grandmother (Nana Downstairs) and her grandson go on to remember her. (Fiction)
- Grollman, Earl. (1990). Talking About Death: A dialogue between Parent and Child. We have recommended this book many times to families with children of different ages who are coping with death. In simple language with pictures, it provides the framework for parents and children for discussion of the topic of death. (Non-fiction)
- Stein, Sara. (1974). About Dying: An Open Family Book for Parents and Children. New York: Walker Books. This read aloud book with pictures helps parents explain death to young children. (Non-fiction)
- Viorst, Judith. (1971). The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. New York: Atheneum Publications. After Barney, a beloved pet dies, he is remembered for the good things about him while he lived and for helping flowers to grow where his body is buried. (Fiction)
- Zolotow, Charlotte. (1974). My Grandson Lew. New York: Harper & Row. A young boy recalls his grandfather and learns to cope with his loss. (Fiction)
School Aged Children
- Alcott, Louisa M. (1969). Little Women. New York: Macmillan. A classic that has provided many children with a first exposure to the death of a child.
- Buscaglia, Leo. (1982). The Fall of Freddie the Leaf. New Jersey: Holt, Reinhart & Winston. In words and pictures this book addresses death as a part of the life of Freddie, a leaf, and his friends. (Fiction)
- Coburn, John. (1964). Anne and the Sand Dobbies. New York: Seabury Press. A young boy learns what it means to die through the help of a friend and his fantasied sand dobbies. (Fiction)
- Clifton, Lucille.(1983). Everett Anderson's Goodbye. New York: Henry Holt & Co. One of the few books with pictures depicting an African American boy whose father has died. This inspirational story of hope is a Coretta Scott King Award winner. (Fiction)
- Krementz, Jill. (1981). How it Feels When a Parent Dies. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Many many grieving children we know of different ages have found this book helpful. Children and teens from 7 to 18 share their personal experiences with the death of a parent and how they have coped. Photographs help to provide a sense of familiarity. (Non-fiction).
- Mann, Peggy. (1977). There are Two Kinds of Terrible. New York: Doubleday. After his mother dies, a young boy learns to cope with her loss as well as the difficulties of his grieving father. (Fiction)
- Martin, Ann M. (1986). With You and Without You. New York: Scholastic, Inc. This book by the author of the popular Babysitters Club books is about the illness and death of Liza O'Hara's father and her family's coping. (Fiction)
- Patterson, Katherine. (1977). Bridge to Terabithia. New York: Corwell. An award-winning story of the close friendship of a boy and girl and the impact of her death. (Fiction)
- Richter, Elizabeth. (1986). New York: Putnam. Children share their own experiences about the death of a brother or sister. (Non-fiction).
- Thomas, Jane R. (1988). Saying Good-bye to Grandma. New York: Clarion Books. A young girl describes her family's experience attending the funeral for her grandmother. (Fiction).
- White, E.B. (1952). Charlotte's Web. New York: Harper & Row. Another classic about the life and death of spider, Charlotte, with a hopeful ending about life continuing for survivors after a loss. (Fiction)
- Williams, Margery. (1971). The Velveteen Rabbit. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. A beautifully written classic about serious illness and the meaning of life from a toy rabbit's perspective. (Fiction)
Pre-Adolescent & Adolescent
- Agee, James. (1959). A Death in the Family. New York: Avon. A classic which is sensitively written about how a family copes with the loss of a father. (Fiction)
- Blume, Judy. (1981). Tiger Eyes. New York: Dell. Fictitious story by a popular author about a girl who must cope with her father's murder. (Fiction)
- Crane, Stephen. (1951). Red Badge of Courage. New York: Random House. Another classic which deals with death from war through the personal reactions of a young civil war soldier. (Fiction)
- Frank, Anne. (1963). The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Washington Square Press. The autobiography of a teenaged jewish girl in hiding during the Holocaust. (Non-fiction)
- Grollman, Earl. (1993). Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers: How to cope with losing someone you love. Boston: Beacon Press.This book is written to teenagers and acknowledges the importance of their experiences of grief as well as addresses common feelings and how to cope with them. (Non-fiction)
- Klein, Norma. (1974). Sunshine. New York: Avon. The life story of a nineteen year old girl who dies, based on her diary and tapes. (Non-fiction)
- LeShan, Eda. (1976). Learning to Say Goodbye. New York: Macmillan. This is a very helpful resource, written to adolescents, about the experience of losing a parent to death. (Non-fiction)
- Rofes, Eric. (1985). The Kid's Book about Death and Dying. Boston: Little, Brown. Eleven to 14 year olds share their experiences with death. Written for teens by teens. (Non-fiction)
- Schotter, Roni. (1979). A Matter of Time. New York: Philomel. A sixteen year old girl's mother dies and she is helped through the painful experience by a social worker. Helpful for teens referred for counseling. (Fiction)
Adult Caregivers
- Fitzgerald, Helen. (1992). The Grieving Child: A parent's guide. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- Gaffney, Donna. (1988). The Seasons of Grief: Helping your children grow through their loss. New York: New American Library.
- Grollman, Earl. (1967) Explaining Death to Children. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Grollman, Earl. (1974) Concerning Death: A practical guide to the living. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Gullo, Steven. (1985). Death and Children. New York: Dobbs Ferry.
- Kubler-Ross, Elizabeth. (1983). On Children and Death. New York: Macmillan.
- Rando, Therese. (1991). How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Has Died. New York: Bantam Books.
- Stillman, Peter. (1990). Answers to a Child's Questions about Death. Stamford, N.Y.: Guidelines Publications.
- Wells, Rosemary. (1992). Helping Children Cope with Grief-Facing death in the family. London: Sheldon Press.
Grieving Adults
- DiGiulio, Robert. (1988). Beyond Widowhood. New York: The Free Press.
- Grollman, Earl. (1974) Concerning Death: A practical guide to the living. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Grollman, Earl. (1987). Time Remembered: A journal for survivors. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Kreis, Bernadine and Alice Pattie.(1982). Up From Grief: Patterns of recovery. New York: The Seabury Press.
- Kushner, Harold. (1981). When Bad Things Happen to Good People. New York: Schocken Books.
- Lerner, Gerda. (1978). A Death of One's Own. New York: Harper & Row.
- Rando, Therese (1993). How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies
