Books to Help Cope With Grief

Waiting for Wolf

by Sandra Dieckmann

A beautiful and moving picture book about learning to carry on after the death of a loved one, stunningly illustrated by an outstanding new picture book talent. Perfect for sharing, it will bring comfort to both children and parents.

Fox and Wolf spend all their perfect days together – talking and laughing for hours, swimming together in the big blue lake, and watching the stars come out, one by one.

Until one day, Wolf is gone.

Badger’s Parting Gifts

by Susan Varley

A special 40th anniversary edition of the best-selling and award-winning classic about bereavement and understanding grief.

Badger is so old that he knows he must soon die, so he does his best to prepare his friends. When he finally passes away, they are grief-stricken, but one by one they remember the special things he taught them during his life. By sharing their memories, they realise that although Badger is no longer with them physically, he lives on through his friends.

The Heart and the Bottle

by Oliver Jeffers

Award-winning picture book star Oliver Jeffers explores themes of love and loss in this life-affirming, uplifting story.

Once there was a girl whose life was filled with wonder at the world around her. Then one day something happened that made the girl take her heart and put it in a safe place. After that, it seemed that the world was emptier than before. But would she know how to get her heart back?

Daddy’s Rainbow

by Becky Cameron

This deeply sensitive picture book about the loss of a parent is the ideal starting point for conversations about love, loss and learning to live again.

Erin’s daddy sees the colour in everything. Even on the greyest days, they put on their wellies and go splashing in puddles because, Daddy says, ‘We can’t see rainbows without rain!’

But what happens when the greyest day of all comes, and Daddy isn’t there any more? Can Erin learn to find colour in the world again?

The Last Bear

by Hannah Gold and Levi Pinfold

This moving story will win the hearts of children the world over and show them that no one is too young or insignificant to make a difference. The Last Bear is a celebration of the love between a child and an animal, a battle cry for our world and an irresistible adventure with a heart as big as a bear’s.

There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to this remote Arctic outpost for six months. But one endless summer night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life …

Hunt for the Nightingale

by Sarah Ann Juckes (author) and Sharon King-Chai (illustrator)

Discover the healing power of nature in one boy’s heartbreaking and hopeful journey back from the wilderness.

Ten-year-old Jasper has been waiting all spring for his beloved nightingale to return to his garden and sing. But it’s not there, and neither is his sister, Rosie. His parents seem sad and preoccupied, so gathering his courage, his backpack and his treasured Book of Birds, Jasper sets out alone on a walk to find them both. The expedition takes Jasper through town and country, meeting a host of characters who are also searching for lost things. Helping his new friends, Jasper begins to see that he may not find what he is looking for when he reaches the journey’s end, but even in the darkest of moments, a nightingale’s song can be heard somewhere.

Memory Key: A Graphic Novel

by Nigel Baines

A time-hopping graphic novel adventure that will take you to unexpected places.

Lately Lily’s grandad has been confused and forgetful, but Lily just knows that if she can help Grandad unlock his past, he’ll be back to normal.

Then Grandad’s memories magically start coming to life and Lily and Grandad travel back to his childhood in Hungary. But they both get more than they bargained for when they get stuck in Grandad’s darkest memory….

Can Lily find the light at the end of the tunnel?

The Star Outside My Window

by Onjali Q. Rauf

Told through the innocent voice of a child, this story that explores the subtle faces and endless impacts of domestic violence, and celebrates the power of hope and resilience, from Onjali Rauf, the award-winning author of The Boy at the Back of the Class.

One day, Aniyah’s mum disappears. Where is she? Aniyah is sure of one thing: Mum isn’t really gone. She knows that people with the brightest hearts never truly leave. They become stars. So when a strange new star is spotted in the sky, Aniyah is sure it’s her mother. And she sets off on a mission which involves breaking into the Royal Observatory in London, a gang of squirrels, and the biggest star in Hollywood.

Fox Goes North

by Jeremy Strong

Themes of life and loss are handled with a lightness of touch, gentle humour and heart-warming hope and empathy.

An extraordinary house on wheels is being towed along a forest track by doleful Moose. On board the house are philosophical Fox; distinguished Bear; theatrical Toucan, with his magnetic beak that always points north; argumentative Little Owl, and loving, excitable Young Llama. With nothing but her little blue suitcase, Fox has left home to join the animals’ expedition to the Snowlands to see the Northern Lights. They encounter many ups and downs on their travels – and their journey’s end will require the most courage of all… By turns funny and thoughtful, this is a brave, touching and timeless children’s fable about friendship, art and the journey of a lifetime.

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly

by Danielle Jawando

An extraordinary novel about loss, understanding and the importance of speaking up when all you want to do is shut down.

When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al, has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart.

Al was special. Al was talented. Al had so many dreams … so why did he do it?

Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan decides to retrace Al’s footsteps. As he does, he meets Megan, Al’s former classmate, who is as determined as Nathan to keep Al’s memory alive. Together they start seeking answers, but will either of them be able to handle the truth about Al’s death when they eventually discover what happened? #BurnBright

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

by Annabel Pitcher

Funny, weird and moving: a look at what happens when someone you love dies awfully and you get left behind.

Jamie’s dead sister is nothing but ash, yet she rules his whole family. Is there life after loss? Please, is there? Five years ago, Jamie’s sister, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. It’s been five years of grief. Now Jamie, Dad and his teenage sister are moving to the Lake District for a fresh start. But things are just as bad as ever. Jasmine, who was Rose’s twin, has turned to piercings and punk hairstyles. Mum has run off with a man from her support group. But to ten-year-old Jamie, Rose is just a distant memory. He’s more interested in his cat and his Spider-Man T-shirt. What he wants is for Mum to come home, and for his family to start living again. Could a TV talent show make it happen?

The Kite Rider

by Geraldine McCaughrean

A magical tale of daring and discovery in Ancient China.

Haoyou knows that his father’s spirit lives among the clouds above Ancient China. He also knows that to save his mother from being forced into a new marriage he must now follow in his father’s footsteps and take to the skies, riding a kite through the clouds and the spirits of the dead. Then the Jade Circus offers him a chance to escape his enemies and travel throughout the empire, and maybe even perform before Kublai Khan himself. But is going with the circus really the best option? Could the circus master be leading him into even greater danger?

The Kite Rider

by Manjeet Mann

A trailblazing novel about two teenagers from opposite worlds; The Crossing is a profound story of hope, grief, and the very real tragedies of the refugee crisis.

The sea carries our pain. The stars carry our future. Natalie’s world is falling apart. She’s just lost her mum and her brother marches the streets of Dover full of hate and anger. Swimming is her only refuge. Sammy has fled his home and family in Eritrea for the chance of a new life in Europe. Every step he takes on his journey is a step into an unknown and unwelcoming future. A twist of fate brings them together and gives them both hope. But is hope enough to mend a broken world?