I Wish That You Knew
Rebecca Gardyn Levington
A bereavement picture book that says the things grown-ups struggle to say out loud: what it feels like to lose someone, and what you would want them to know. Read it slowly, a page at a time.
All categories
19 handpicked books
Grief & Loss
There is no perfect script for loss, but there are books that sit beside a child instead of explaining everything. Read slowly, stop when needed, and follow their questions.
Bread Days
Hannah Chung
A quiet story of a family keeping a small ritual going after someone is gone. Gentle on the everyday comforts that carry a child through a hard week.
The Heart and the Bottle
Oliver Jeffers
A girl puts her heart in a bottle to keep it safe, and slowly stops feeling much of anything. A beautiful picture of how grief can close a child up, and how connection opens them again.
Lost in the Clouds
DK
A boy carries a cloud of sadness after his mother dies, and finds it can lift when he lets people close. A calm, direct explanation of death for young children.
You’ll Find Me
Amanda R. Hill
Written for a child waiting for a parent who cannot be there, it repeats the promise that love holds through absence. Soothing for separation, illness or loss.
I’ll Love You from Afar
Racha Mourtada
Rhyming reassurance that distance and missing someone never loosen love. A good read-aloud for the nights a child feels far from someone they love.
The ABCs of Grief: Emotions & Feelings
Jessica Correnti
One letter at a time, this names what grief brings, from anger and loneliness to guilt and numbness. Useful for a child who needs the word before they can share the feeling.
The Invisible Leash
Patrice Karst
The companion to The Invisible String, this time for the loss of a pet. Honest about missing an animal while keeping the connection close.
The Burst Balloon
Cher Louise Jones
A simple metaphor for how grief arrives, softens and returns, and how talking about it helps it shrink. Concrete enough for a first conversation about loss.
Goodbye: A First Conversation About Grief
Megan Madison
Short, respectful and factual, with gentle prompts for grown-ups on every page. Excellent for a child’s very first questions about death.
I’ll Be Your Friend Forever
Amulya Veldanda Vadali
A story from across the rainbow bridge that imagines memory as an ongoing friendship. A gentle choice for a child grieving a pet.
The ABCs of Grief: Coping
Jessica Correnti
The companion volume, this one names practical things a child can do with grief: naming, drawing, resting, reaching out. Small, doable comfort for hard days.
Grief Is an Elephant
Tamara Ellis Smith
Grief arrives as a small companion, grows until it fills the room, then slowly becomes one you can walk beside. Honest about carrying loss for a long time.
Goodbyes Are Hard
Sissy Goff
A straightforward bereavement book that names loss and the feelings around it while leaving room for hope. Well suited to a first funeral or a final goodbye.
Why Do I Feel So Sad?
Tracy Lambert
Written by a counselor, this explains grief in plain language and offers short prompts and activities. Practical for families who want to do something with the feeling.
The Memory Box
Joanna Rowland
A child gathers memories of someone she has lost into a box so the person stays close. Read it, then make a memory box together.
I Can’t Believe They’re Gone
Karen Brough
A grief book that hugs, walking a child through disbelief, anger and sadness toward hope. Accessible language for the early school years.
When the Tide Goes Out
Ella Cove
Grief as a tide that comes in and pulls back, with memory as the shore underneath it. Calm imagery for remembering someone you love.
The Invisible String
Patrice Karst
The original: love travels between people on an invisible string, no matter the distance. The most-recommended book for separation, deployment and loss.
A note for grown-ups
Let your child close the book whenever they want. That small bit of control matters more than finishing it.