Helping children (and adults) understand death

I was asked by someone this week to recommend books to help cope with the death of her mother. Since she has children as well, I asked other librarians and looked through my information and came up with a list of books for both adults and children. (Most of us know that books for children are often very helpful for adults.) One of my favorite books is The Tenth Good Thing About Barney,about a little boy whose cat dies. He thinks of nine things to say about Barney for the burial and funeral, and the next day thinks of a tenth. The classic book about death for children.

BOOKS FOR ADULTS

The Goldfish Went on Vacation: A Memoir of Loss (and Learning to Tell the Truth about It), by Dann (this just got a wonderful review in the New York Times)
On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of LossElisabeth Kubler-Ross
How to Survive the Loss of a Love -McWilliams--short consoling poems and sayings
The Year of Magical Thinking -Didion --story of the death of her husband and her daughter’s illness)
When Bad Things Happen to Good Peoplepeople by Kushner
For One More Day, and Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom
Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: 101 Stories (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
Yesterday I Cried: Celebrating The Lessons Of Living And LovingIyanlaa Vanzant.
Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss by Hope Edelman.
A Grief Observedby C.S. Lewis

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
Tear Soup, by Pat Schwiebert
The Next Place, by Warren Hanson
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, by Leo Buscaglia
Michael Rosen's Sad Book, by Michael Rosen

DEATH OF PARENT
Mama, by Schick
Flamingo Dream, by Napoli- death of father from cancer
If You Listen, by Zolotow -about a father who is far away
Everett Anderson's Goodbye, by Clifton -father
The Memory String, by Eve Bunting -mother

DEATH OF PETS
Cat Heaven, Dog heaven, by Cynthia Rylant
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
DEATH OF GRANDPARENTS
Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs
Hugs on the Wind, by Arnold-actually about a grandparent who moved away, but still works
The Hickory Chair, Faustino (grandmother)
Grandad's Prayers of the Earth, by Wood
Thank You, Grandpa, by Plourde
The Two of Them, by Aliki (grandfather)
The Wall (Reading Rainbow Book), Eve Bunting-boy’s grandfather died in Vietnam, he and his father visit the memorial in Washington DC

DEATH OF A SIBLING
We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel InsteadSchweibert