Sadly, need recommendation on children's books dealing with death?

Question

I have a 1st grade student who has a brain tumor and the prognosis is not good. I work in the school library and have had questions asking us what books to recommend on the subject that would help that child and the other children understand. Every day I pray for a miracle for her, but we need to be prepared to deal with what the future may bring. I will be checking with an agency that does grief counseling, but does anybody have recommendations from personal experience? We already have the books "The Next Place" which is beautiful, and also "What is Heaven?" by Maria Shriver. And if you would like to pray for her, the little girl's name is Maria. Thank you.

Thanks to all. I had more than one "best answer" if it had been an option. Miranda, good luck...I can tell you will be a good teacher. Melanie, excellent suggestions from your son's experience. FYI: Maria's website is www.prayersformaria.com and her parents have started a foundation to help others with brain cancer at www.prayersfrommaria.com. Please pray for Maria and others like her, their families, friends and teachers who are trying to understand "why", and for the doctors & researchers to find a cause/cure for pediatric brain tumors. Thank you for visiting my question and your caring responses...you have all been very helpful.

Answer 1

These books are aimed at young children, dealing with death and dying:

'When I Die, Will I Get Better?' by J Breebaart (this is quite good because it deals with the death of a child)

'When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death' by KB Brown (this seems good to lay-down the idea of death)

'Goodbye Mog' by Judith Kerr (it's about the death of a family pet and how sad the family are, again good to lay down the idea of death and what might happen)

'Rudi's Pond' by Eve Bunting (this is about the death of a child and what the children in her class do to remember her)

'The Goodbye Boat' by Mary Joslin (this is a good one to start the discussion of death)

This child will probably have an oncology community nurse who will also be versed in helping prepare the family, friends and classmates for the end stages of terminal illness. If you don't want to contact the little girl's parents directly then you should try to contact the hospital she was treated in (in fact, they will probably have left a contact number with the school) to arrange a talk for the class and also see if the nurse can recommend any books for you as she'll have access to very specific books about cancer and death that will be perfect for your class.

It's so sad when anyone good dies, especially a child who hasn't even had the chance to properly enjoy life. I do pray that there is a miracle in store for her and these books aren't needed.

Answer 2

I do not have any book titles right now, but my son went through the same thing in his classroom last year.

It was a very sad time, but the teacher did a wonderful job and she made the kids a part of it so they did not feel so helpless. She gave them updates and let them know that "Isaac was not doing so well, etc," This helped to prepare them.

When he was too weak to attend school they visited him at home and had a lunch with him. The kids presented Isaac with a star that they had purchased and named after him. This was something also for the parents to have for after Isaac passed.

They had fund raisers at school to help him to pay his hospital bills. While they did not really raise all that much, they felt that they were helping in some way. They had a bake sale.

When Isaac did pass they took Sharpie markers and they "graffittied" his desk. "Not in a bad way, mom. But to always remember him" is how my son explained it to me. The teacher said that the desk would be kept forever for Isaac's memory. That helped the kids.

Shortly after he passed his birthday came up. On that day the entire class met at the school (it happened to be in June after school was out) and the kids all planted flowers around a tree that was planted in the child's honor and memory. They also installed a bench in Isaac's name and the kids got to check it out. Each kid got a balloon to release and then the parents served ice cream.

Hope this helps. It is a sad experience and very eye opening for children who think that nothing bad will ever happen to them. Just thinking of it all again is making me cry. You will be in my thoughts.

Answer 3

Here are a few books. one I have read and there are two I found online.

1.There is a book by Tomie dePaola called "Grandma Upstairs, Grandma Downstairs." It isn't about a child dying, but a grandparent. The book tells of memories of Tomie as a child of his grandmother and great-grandmother. They both live in the same house. The grandmother lives downstairs and the great-grandmother stays in a bedroom upstairs in the house. The end explains that both die, and soon after each death he sees a shooting star. He explains in the end that thought they are gone they will always be his "Grandmas Upstairs."

**It would be good to explain to children that even though people are not with us, they are always in our heart. The memories are always there, and we will always remember them as our loved ones.

2. “What Happens When People Die?", by Timothy Robinson, and wonderfully illustrated by Dilleen Marsh, helps young children better understand the natural progression of life, death and life after death. Its hard back pages make it the perfect book for even the youngest children who are suffering the loss of a loved one.

3. “What is goodbye?", by Nikki Grimes, is a poetic story told between two siblings concerning the death of their brother. There’s a progression of time where this brother and sister deal with the onset of the death to the next year. You’ll come away with a better understanding of how children react and deal with a close relative’s death. This book would be an excellent open book discussion to help kids cope. The wonderful illustrations, by Raul Colon, reflect the deep underlying words on the opposite page. This is excellent for all ages!


I hope this helps. I am in college getting my Elementary Education degree. I am in my 3rd year, and know that if I knew Maria, as you do, it would break my heart. Even hearing about it saddens me because when I was in high school a boy a grade above me in school, that I had known basically my whole life, past away after years of struggling with Cancer. I hope and pray that Maria gets her miracle.

-Miranda

Answer 4

Written by Jesse Duplantis - check out... "Close Encounters of the God Kind" Amazon Books!! I almost died when I was 24, and my soul and body separated. Let me tell you, Andrew, it scared me into getting myself right with God!! Long story short, I ended up in Intensive care...and the Dr. who looked after me when I was in emerg...said he hears that all the time. Years ago, a Dr. did an experiment to see if the human soul held weight...(care was taken and the weight each person lost at the time of death was approx 3/4 ounce. When the Dr. did the same experiment on dogs, no weight loss was noticed. Humans have a soul - dogs do not.

Answer 5

Maria is definetly in my prayers. I don't actually have a book title but I have a link that I would like to share with you and your colleagues: www.abta.org/kids

You should be able to find information that will help you and your students.

God Bless You.

Answer 6

Bridge to Terabithia- IF your calss is a little more advanced. I think it is actually written for 4th graders, but it is an excellent book. Charlotte's Web would be good, too.

Answer 7

"The Fall of Freddy the Leaf"...excellent

Answer 8

miranda25 has great options.