Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Little Hearts, Big Feelings: Books That Support Kids Through Grief
19
items Specially chosen for their tender approach, these books come from my personal list and acknowledge the deep emotions that come with loss. When I speak and train at family grief camps & conferences, this is the list I provide to the participants. ...
How to Use This List
• Share: Read these books alongside your child or classroom, and talk about the characters’ feelings and experiences.
• Connect: Encourage kids to ask questions, share personal stories, or reflect on memories that keep loved ones close.
• Heal: Use the gentle lessons each story provides to help children feel supported and understand that grieving is a natural part of healing.
How to Use This List
• Share: Read these books alongside your child or classroom, and talk about the characters’ feelings and experiences.
• Connect: Encourage kids to ask questions, share personal stories, or reflect on memories that keep loved ones close.
• Heal: Use the gentle lessons each story provides to help children feel supported and understand that grieving is a natural part of healing.
My eight year old grandson wrote this book, giving a voice to grieving children. He shares candid insights and an array of talking points to open up a dialogue between adults and kids so that the care and healing process can be more collaborative. A ...
What This Kid Wants Adults To Know About Grief
I wrote this book to provide caregivers with practical tools to support grieving children through their toughest times. HELP is an acronym for H-ave the hard and honest conversations, E-xpress yourself. L(3)- Lean in, Love more and Let them lead some...
The HELP Method: Guide for Little Hearts
WONDERFUL BOOK! Does everybody have an Invisible String? How far does it reach? Does it ever go away? This picture book explores questions about the unbreakable connections between us, and opens up deeper conversations about love. Even though you can...
! The Invisible String
Children wonder about Heaven, especially when someone they love goes there. My grandsons read this book a lot (the younger of the two requested this be read to him often).
! When I'm with Jesus
This coloring book talks about the ‘transition’ from a waterbug to a dragonfly in a way that also gives children insights on how we transition in death. My grandson's LOVED this book, the 6yo read it to his little brother tons of times and they still...
! Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death
A beautiful and powerful story of loss. This book follows the story of a child grieving the death of a sibling and uses the analogy of having to wear a very big, heavy and uncomfortable coat to symbolise the weight of grief. The book uses a coat to e...
! The Coat I Wear
This is bound, hardcover activity book, journal, and conversation-starter to help children and families express their feelings, ask questions, and explore their memories about a loved one who has passed away. The activities are kid friendly and give ...
! The Healing Book: Facing Death & Celebrating Life
"We lost Paige. That's what my Grandma said "lost". My Parents said she died. I wondered if I could find her again." So begins the story of one child's search for understanding after the death of her sister.
! Lost and Found: Remembering a Sister
Every day, Elfie the dachshund and her owner play together. And every night, her owner tells her "I'll always love you." Elfie and her owner grow up togther, but growing up can mean having to say goodbye to the ones you love. This tender story is a p...
I'll always love you
Loaded with positive, life-affirming advice for coping with loss as a child, this guide tells children what they need to know after a loss- that the world is still safe; life is good; and hurting hearts do mend. *Written by a school counselor.
Sad Isn't Bad: A Good-Grief Guide for Kids
A best friend has moved away…Dad no longer lives with the family… A favorite relative or pet has died. This warm and comforting book gently helps the grieving child identify his or her feelings and learn to deal with them.
I Wish I Could Hold Your Hand: A Guide to Grief
“My cat Barney died this Friday. I was very sad. My mother said we could have a funeral for him, and I should think of ten good things about Barney so I could tell them...”
But the small boy who loved Barney can only think of nine. Later, while talk...
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
This book offers three stories to help children talk about death- an uncle with a terminal illness, a classmate killed in an accident, and a grandparent.
The Saddest Time
A good Read-Aloud story for all ages about loving & losing, friendship & hope. Aarvy has lost his family and is filled with despair and hopelessness until a true friend helps him learn about the strengths within himself. This book shows how f...
Aarvy Aardvark Finds Hope: A Read Aloud
A young boy finds that the memories of his Grandpa and his love live on everywhere he looks. *This book includes a discussion of the importance of allowing children to understand death and undergo the process of grieving.
Finding Grandpa Everywhere: A Child's Journey
A girl talks about how her sister fell ill with pneumonia and passed away after she said some mean things to her in a fight. She describes her feelings of grief, anger, guilt and loss.
Can You Hear Me Smiling?: A Child Grieves a Sister
The boy in this story wakes to find that his mother has died, he is overwhelmed with sadness, anger, and fear that he will forget her. He grieves in unhealthy ways until his grandmother shows him another way to feel that his mom’s love is near. With ...
The Scar
When a nine-year-old boy's big sister passes away, he is confused, angry and fearful. He must face the finality of death and the pain of loss. His parents, also grieving, seem distant, until a counselor teaches them all how to cope and heal.
The Empty Place
The book explains life and death in a sensitive, caring, beautiful way. It tells us about beginnings, endings, and living in between. It tells that dying is as much a part of living as being born. It helps us to remember. It helps us to understand.
Beginnings and endings with lifetimes in between