Recommended Books for Children, Teens, and Families Who Are Grieving

Books can help us find language for experiences that are often difficult to describe. For children and teens who are grieving, stories can offer reassurance, normalize feelings, and open the door to meaningful conversations about loss.

This collection includes recommendations for young children, teens, and the adults who care for them. Whether you’re looking for a book to read together, a resource to support a grieving child, or guidance for navigating grief as a family, we hope these titles provide comfort, connection, and understanding.

I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas (ages 3+)

When someone close to a child dies, finding the right words can feel impossible. Written by a child therapist, this book offers clear, age-appropriate language and warm, inclusive illustrations to guide families through conversations about loss and healing.

Grief Is an Elephant by Tamara Ellis Smith (ages 3+)

This book provides a hopeful and reassuring message about the transformation of grief over time. When Grief first arrives, it is like an elephant–so big that there is hardly room for anything else. But over time, Grief can become smaller and smaller–first a deer, then a fox, a mouse, and finally a flickering firefly in the darkness leading us down a path of loving remembrance.

Ida, Always by Caron Levis (ages 4+)

Gus and Ida are polar bears and best friends who live in a big park in the middle of a city. One day, Gus learns that Ida is very sick, and she isn’t going to get better. The friends help each other face the difficult news with whispers, sniffles, cuddles, and even laughs. Slowly, Gus realizes that even after Ida is gone, she will still be with him — through the sound of their city, and the memories that live in their favorite spots.

The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers (ages 4+)

Award-winning author Oliver Jeffers explores themes of love and loss in this story about a girl whose life is filled with joy and magic until one day the loved one who filled her world with wonder is no longer there. After the loss, she decides to put her heart in a bottle to keep it safe. But will she keep it bottled up forever or find others to share it with?

A Garden of Creatures by Sheila Heti (ages 4+)

Two bunnies and a cat live happily together in a beautiful garden. But when the big bunny passes away, the little bunny is unsure how to fill the space she left behind. She begins to ask questions: Why do the creatures we love have to die, and where do we go when we die? How come life works this way? With the wisdom of the cat to guide her, the little bunny learns that missing someone is a way of keeping them close. And together they discover that the big bunny is a part of everything around them — the grass, the air, the leaves — for the world is a garden of creatures.

Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas by Alan Wolfelt (ages 12+)

This is a guide for teenagers dealing with the death of a loved one, offering simple, actionable suggestions to help them understand and express their grief in healthy ways. The book provides 100 distinct ideas, some explaining grief principles and others offering practical tips, encouraging self-compassion and natural mourning through journaling and other activities, and reassuring teens that their feelings are normal.