Picture Books About Grief and Loss

Grief and loss are a part of life. Even if we don’t want to think or talk about it. But it’s something that we need to discuss with children at younger and younger ages these days, unfortunately. Young children aren’t able to understand death fully. Honestly, do adults even really understand it? That’s where picture books about grief and loss can come in. Having books to help children process these feelings and ideas can help them understand their questions, especially if we don’t have the answers. 

Here is a short list of gentle picture books about grief and loss for young children, ages three and up:

 

Rabbit and the Motorbike by Kate Hoefler and Sarah Jacoby

 This is one of the sweetest books that illustrate how we can go on living while still honoring the memory of those who have passed. Rabbit never leaves the field where he lives but after his good friend Dog dies, he leaves Rabbit his well-traveled motorbike. After some time, Rabbit decides to take the motorbike for a spin and finds the kind of adventure he always heard about from Dog. 

 

And So It Goes by Paloma Valdivia

 Gentle and lyrical, this book floats through the cycle of life. People are here and someday will be gone, and new people are going to be born. The art is as ethereal as the language. Beautiful for all kinds of transitions, really.

The Phone Booth In Mr. Hirota’s Garden by Heather Smith and Rachel Wada

 Loosely based on a true story, after a dreadful tsunami, a man builds a telephone booth in his garden so people can talk to their loved ones who died. Simply written but intense, this book is better for older children, kindergarten or first grade and up. 

Where Do They Go? By Julia Alvarez and Sabra Field

 This simple, rhyming story asks that age-old question, where do people go after they die? This is a lovely book to help facilitate a discussion with young children about what happens when people die. 

Ida, Always by Caron Levis and Charles Santoso

 This touching book is based on the true story of two polar bears who lived in a city zoo. It follows their loving friendship and what happens after one of them dies. 

Old Coyote by Nancy Wood and Max Grafe

 A gentle book about an old coyote’s last day on Earth. He senses his end is near so spends the day loving his partner, being with friends, and enjoying his world until he dreams himself right into another one. 

Always Remember by Cece Meng and Jago

 This is one of the most beautiful and tender books about death. After Old Turtle dies but all the creatures whose lives he touched remember him so he can always live on. The art is as beautiful as the story itself. 

When The Wind Stops by Charlotte Zolotow and Stefano Vitale

 Sweet ideas about how things don’t really end, they just become something new. Wind doesn’t just stop, it just blows somewhere else. This book is about change and transition, and can be used to help start a conversation about death with young children. 

The Rough Patch by Brian Lies

A beloved pet dog dies and his owner goes through his grief by taking it out on his well-loved garden. This book illustrates loss and life after a pet dies with grace and aplomb.

The Heart and The Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

 After the loss of a special person in her life, a young girl decides to put her heart in a bottle to protect it. But along with her heart goes her curiosity and creativity, so how will she get her heart out when she needs it again? It gently moves through the idea of grief without ever mentioning death, and is a loving way to show how we can, and do, come alive again after grief.

Maybe Tomorrow by Charlotte Agell and Ana Ramirez Gonzalez

A kind crocodile befriends a sad hippo who is carrying around a giant block. Each day that the two spend together, the block magically gets a little lighter, a little smaller, until the hippo finally shares where she got the block in the first place. This is a vibrantly illustrated book about grief and missing someone who is gone too soon. 

My Nana’s Garden by Dawn Casey and Jessica Courtney-Tickle 

A young girl loves to garden with her nana. The garden is free and wild, beloved by both of them. We watch the garden go through the seasons, and the years. Until suddenly, Nana isn’t there anymore. This delicate book brings us through the grief gently as we watch the garden grow and change, with and without Nana as the gardener. 

Witch Hazel by Molly Idle

Witch Hazel tells the stories of her life while a young girl listens. Until Witch Hazel is too old and ill to tell them anymore, and the girl needs to tell the stories herself. After Witch Hazel is gone, the stories still go on and new ones are born. A sparse and gentle book about saying goodbye to the person, not the memories. 

The Tiny Star by Mem Fox and Freya Blackwood 

A tiny star is born. It grows through a beautiful (and long) life. Then it returns to stardust, surrounded by love. This lovely book illustrates a life well-lived from birth to death in a gentle and straightforward way. 

Picture books about grief and loss can help children process their feelings and discuss the loss of a loved one. Especially when you are grieving yourself. Sometimes we don’t have all the words, so just having some picture books like these on-hand can be a comfort for children who might need it.