Reading List
Here is a list of related books that may be able to help
children and adults dealing with grief.
Book Spotlight
Birds of a Feather
by Tom Crice, Illustrated by Ellen Rakatansky, for ages 5-10
follows a young child spending summers with his grandfather in a small town. His beloved granddad dies and now nothing feels right. Then an unexpected encounter with two birds on a subway train provides hope, comfort, and healing. This sweet, thoughtful story is an excellent tool for opening a discussion.
Children's Books
For Ages 2-5
Brown, Laurie K. M. When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death.
Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1998.
Brown, Margaret W. The Dead Bird. New York: Harper Trophy, 1995.
Harris, Robie H., illustrated by Jan Ormerod. Goodbye Mousie
Holmes, Margaret M., Illustrated by Cary Pillo. A Terrible Thing Happened - A Story for children who have witnessed violence or trauma. Dalmation Press by Permission of the American Psychological Association. 2000
Mellonie, Brian, and Robert Ingpen. Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children. New York: Bantam Books, 1983.
Moundlic, Charlotte, illustrated by Olivier Tallec. The Scar
Thomas, Pat. I Miss You: A First Look at Death
For Ages 6-9
Cohn, Janice. I Had a Friend Named Peter: Talking to Children About the Death of a Friend. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1987.
Crossley, Diana.Muddles, Puddles, and Sunshine: Your Activity Book to Help when Someone has Died
Holmes, Margaret M., Illustrated by Cary Pillo. A Terrible Thing Happened - A Story for children who have witnessed violence or trauma. Dalmation Press by Permission of the American Psychological Association. 2000
Lorig, Steffanie and Rosalie Frankel Draw It Out. Washington: Art With Heart 2013.
Robinson, Hilary. The Copper Tree: Helping a Child Cope With Death and Loss. 2012.
Saltzman, David. The Jester Has Lost His Jingle. Palos Verdes Estates, CA: The Jester Co., Inc., 1995.
Schwieber, Pat. Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss. 2001 Theologos Book Award.
Sharp, Nancy. Because The Sky Is Everywhere. Eleven Elevn Press, 2017 www.nancysharp.net
Shaw-Cramer, Gayle.The Secret of the Dragonfly, a story of hope and promise. 2010.
Stickney, Doris. Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children
Varley, Susan. Badger's Parting Gifts. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1984.
Vigna, Judith. Saying Goodbye to Daddy. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co., 1991.
Yumoto,Kazumi. The Bear and the Wildcat
For Ages 10-12
Babbitt, Natalie. The Eyes of the Amaryllis. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1986.
Krementz, Jill. How It Feels When a Parent Dies. New York: Knopf, 1981.
Little, Jean. Home from Far. Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1965.
MacLachlan, Patricia. Cassie Binegar. New York: Harper Trophy, 1987.
McLean, Susan. Pennies for the Piper. Sunburst, 1993.
O'Toole, Donna. Aarvy Aardvardk Finds Hope.Burnsville, NC: Mountain Rainbow Publications, 1988.
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia.New York: Harper Trophy, 1987.
Powell, E. Sandy. Geranium Morning.Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Rofes, Eric E., ed. The Kids' Book About Death and Dying. Boston: Little Brown & Co., 1985.
For Teens
Deaver, Julie R. Say Goodnight, Gracie. New York: Harper Trophy, 1989.
Ellsworth, Barry. The Little Stream.Los Angeles: Bonneville Worldwide Entertainment, 1995.
Fitzerald, Helen. The Grieving Teen : A Guide for Teenagers and Their Friends
Grollman, Earl. Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You
Love.Boston: Beacon Press, 1993.
Grollman, Earl, and Max Malikow. Living When a Young Friend Commits Suicide: Or Even Starts Talking About It. Boston: Beacon Press, 1999.
Krementz, Jill. How It Feels When a Parent Dies.New York: Knopf, 1981.
O'Toole, Donna. Facing Change: Falling Apart and Coming Together Again in the Teen Years. Burnsville, NC:
Mountain Rainbow Publications, 1995.
Samuel-Traisman, Enid. Fire in My Heart, Ice in My Veins: A Journal for Teenagers Experiencing a Loss
For Adults Helping Children
Emswiler, Mary Ann, and Jim. Guiding Your Child Through Grief. New York: Bantam, 2000.
Fitzgerald, Helen. The Grieving Child: A Parent's Guide. New York: Fireside, 1992.
Goldman, Linda. Life and Loss: A Guide to Helping Grieving Children. Levittown, PA: Taylor & Francis, 1994.
Grollman, Earl. Bereaved Children and Teens: A Support Guide for Parents and Professionals. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.
Grollman, Earl. Talking About Death: A Dialogue Between Parent and Child. Boston: Beacon Press, 1991.
Harris, Maxine. The Loss That Is Forever: The Lifelong Impact of the Early Death of a Mother or Father. New York: Plume, 1996.
Jarratt, Claudia J. Helping Children Cope with Separation and Loss. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Common Press, 1994.
Schaefer, Dan, and Christine Lyons. How Do We Tell the Children?: A Step-by-Step Guide for Helping Children Two to Ten Cope When Someone Dies. New York: Newmarket Press, 1993.
Schuurman, Donna. Helping Children Cope with Death. Portland, OR: The Dougy Center, 1998.
Silverman, Phyllis R. Never Too Young To Know: Death in Children's Lives. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Worden, J. William. Children and Grief: When a Parent Dies. New York: Guilford Press, 1996.
For Adult Grievers
Fine, Carla. No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
Grollman, Earl. Living When a Loved One Has Died. New York: Beacon Press, 1997.
Kushner, Harold. When Bad Things Happen to Good People. New York: Avon Books, 1998.
Lewis, C. S. A Grief Observed. San Francisco: Harper, 1995.
Rando, Therese R. How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Has Died. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.
Sanders, Catherine. Surviving Grief and Learning to Live Again. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 1987.
Tatelbaum, Judy. The Courage to Grieve. New York: Harper Collins, 1980.
Trauma Related
Baures, Mary. Undaunted Spirits: Portraits of Recovery from Trauma. The Charles Press Publishers. 1994.
Boss, Pauline. Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live With Unresolved Grief. Hartford University Press. 1999.
Boyd Webb, Nancy. Mass Trauma and Violence. The Guilford Press. 2004
Cohen, Judith A. Treating Trauma and Traumatic Grief in Children and Adolescents. New York: The Guilford Press. 2006.
Coloroso, Barbara. Parenting Through Crisis: Helping Kids In Times of Loss, Grief, and Change. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Ink., 2000
Copeland, Mary Ellen, M.A., M.S., Harris, Maxine, PH.D. Healing the Trauma of Abuse: A Women's Workbook. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2000.
Dass- Brailsford, Priscilla. A Practical Approach to Trauma: Empowering Interventions. SAGE Publications. 2007.
DeVita-Raeburn, Elizabeth. The Empty Room: Understanding Sibling Loss. Scribner. 2004.
Elison, Ed.D. Jennifer and McGonigle, Ph.D. Chris. Liberating Losses: When Death Brings Relief. Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2003.
Freyd, Jennifer, J. Betrayal Trauma. Harvard University Press.1966
Freud, Anna. The Ego and The Mechanisms of Defense. International Universities Press, Inc. 1948
Dayton, Ph.D., Tian. Trauma and Addiction: Ending the Cycle of Pain Through Emotional Literacy. Health Communications, Inc. 2000.
Gold, Steven N. Not Trauma, Alone: Therapy for Child Abuse Survivors in Family and Social Context. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 2000
Greenacre, Phyllis. Trauma, Growth & Personality. England: H. Karnac Books Ltd., 1987.
Harris, Ph.D, Maxine and The Community Connections Trauma Work Group. Trauma Recovery and Empowerment: A Clinician's Guide for "Working With Women in Groups. The Free Press.1998.
Edited by van der Kolk, Bessel A., McFarlane, Alecander C., and Weisaeth, Lars. Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society. The Guilford Press, 1996.
Levine, Peter A. Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body. Boulder, CO: Sounds True Ink., 2005
Levine, Peter A. Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 1997.
Levine, Peter A. Trauma Through A Child's Eyes: Infancy Through Adolescence. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2007.
Levine, Stephen. Unattended Sorrow: Recovering from Loss and Reviving the Heart.Rodal Ink., 2005
Macnaughton, Ian.Body, Breath, and Consciousness: A Somatics Anthology. North Atlantic Books. 2004.
Martin, Courtney E. Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. Free Press. 2007.
Mazza, Nicholas. Poetry Therapy: Theory and Practice.Brunner- Routledge. 2003.
Miller, Joan Heller, EdM Healing Grief: A Story of Survivorship. Outskirts Press
Monahon, Cynthia. Children and Trauma: A Guide for Parents and Professionals.Jossey-Bass Publishers. 1993.
Ogden, Pat; Minton, Kekuni; and Pain, Clare. Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy. W.W. Norton & Company. 2006.
O'Hanlon, Bill. Thriving Through Crisis: Turn Tragedy and Trauma into Growth and Change. The Berkley Publishing Group. 2004.
Edited by Oppenheim, David, Goldsmith, F. Douglas. Attachment Theory in Clinical Work with Children: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice. The Guilford Press. 2007.
Parnell, Laurel. A Therapist's Guide to EMDR: Tools and Techniques for Successful Treatment. W.W. Norton and Company. 2007.
Price Tangney, June, Ronda L. Dearing. Shame and Guilt. The Guilford Press. 2002.
Scaer, Robert. The Trauma Spectrum: Hidden Wounds and Human Resiliency. W.W. Norton and Company. 2005
Simeon, M.D., Daphne and Abugel, Jeffrey. Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self Edited by Solomon, Marion F., Daniel J. Siegel. Healing Trauma: Attachment, Mind, Body, and Brain. W.W. Norton and Company. 2003.
Strong, Marilee. A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and The Language of Pain. Penguin group. 1999
Terr, Lenore M.D. Too Scared To Cry: How Trauma Affects Children…and Ultimately Us All. Basic Books. 1990.
Van Der Hart, Onno, Ellert R. S. Nijenhuis, and Kathy Steele. The Haunted Self. W.W. Norton and Company. 2006.