Reading material for all ages

Reading books is an essential part of healing. 

Books can be a great comfort during difficult times - a way to process tough emotions, a magical escape, or simply a reassurance that we are not alone.

There are books we find comfort in after the death of a loved one that we turn to time and again. 

We've suggested reading material below which tackle grief and loss and help with moving forward. 

For children, reading books can help children understand complex feelings, explain the facts and permanence of death, or even help children connect with memories of their lost loved one.

Many of the below publications are available to borrow from the Bear Cottage library, please ask for assistance if needed.

Children

  • Gentle Willow, Joyce C Mills
  • Badgers Parting Gift, Susan Varley
  • When Dinosaurs Die, Laurie Krasny-Brown and Marc Brown
  • Always and Forever, Alan Durant
  • No Matter What, Debbi Glior
  • Lifetimes, Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingen
  • The Invisible String, Patrice Karst
  • What Does Dead Mean?, Caroline Jay and Jenni Thomas
  • The Next Place, Warren Hanson
  • Water Bugs and Dragonflies, Doris Stickney
  • Life is like the Wind, Shona Innes and Irisz Agocs
  • The Lonely Tree, Nicholas Halliday

Teenagers

  • Talking about Death, Earl Grollman
  • The Grieving Teen: a guide for teenagers and their friends, Helen Fitzgerald
  • Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers, Earl Grollman
  • Teenagers and Grief, Doris Zagdanski
  • The Empty Room, Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn
  • Healing your grieving heart for teens, Alan D Wolfelt
  • Weird is normal when teenagers grieve, Jenny Lee Wheeler

Adults

  • Coping with Grief, Mal McKissock
  • A broken heart still beats: after your child dies, Anne McCracken and Mary Semell
  • The Grief of our Children, Dianne McKissock
  • The Worst Loss – how families heal from the death of a child, Barbara D Rosof
  • Children Die Too, Joy Johnson and Marvin Johnson
  • An Intimate Loneliness: supporting bereaved parents and siblings, Gordon Riches and Pam Dawson
  • Shadows in the sun: The experiences of Unspoken Grief: Coping with childhood sibling loss, Helen Rosen
  • Sibling bereavement in childhood, Betty Davies