Grief Resources

THE HOPE & HEALING PLACE LIBRARY
Grief and Loss Book Summaries

Badger’s Party Gifts by Susan Varley
Ages: All Ages
Emphasis: Compassion & Legacy
Summary: We become better because of people in our lives

Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield
Grief Section
“The Right Words” page 161
Ages: Adults
Emphasis: Clichés
Summary: Things that people say about death. This would be very good to use with the adult groups when talking about clichés.

Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul by Jack Canfield
Grief Section beginning on page 171
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Summary: A good selection of short stories.

Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul by Jack Canfield
Grief Section beginning on page 128
Ages: Middle School
Summary: A good selection of short stories.

“An Act of Kindness for a Broken Heart” page 163
Ages: Lower Elementary and Adult
Emphasis: Mending a broken Heart
Summary: This story actually uses the concept of a band-aid which parallels activities for lower elementary and adult groups.

“The Legacy”
Ages: Adults and Teens
Emphasis: Poem - read this part only
Summary: Concept that a person’s love never leaves us.

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant
Ages: Lower Elementary
Emphasis: Clichés
Summary: Helps to paint a picture of what Heaven might be like.

Emotional Ups and Downs
Ages: Upper Elementary, Middle School
Summary: The chapter on “When Someone close to you dies” (p. 10) gives a brief example of loss and then strategies for dealing with the loss.

Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor
Ages: All groups
Emphasis: Grounding
Summary: This wonderful book helps you to know that sometimes we need a touch stone, a worry stone or something to take care of and develop ownership of our grief.

Grandma’s Gone to Live in the Stars by Max Haynes
Ages: Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary
Emphasis: Saying goodbye
Summary: This is a unique look at saying goodbye from the Grandmother’s perspective.

Geranium Morning by Sandy Powell
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Emphasis: Death of a Father and Death of a Mother- friendship between two children of different families.
Summary: This is a somewhat long book with black and white pictures. It would work best with a group who can attend for a while. This excellent story combines the death of a dad who died in a car accident and that of the boy’s friend whose mother dies of cancer.

Help Me Say Goodbye
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Summary: Activity ideas that could supplement curriculum.

I’LL See You in My Dreams
Ages: Upper Elementary and Middle School
Summary: This book is about a relative who is in the hospital and dies. Then the book engages the concept of memories.

I Remember Miss Perry
Ages: Lower & Upper Elementary
Summary: Sudden loss of a beloved teacher helps children to deal with loss of a loved and respected teacher. Good for dealing with the sudden or unexpected loss.

Knots on a Counting Rope
Ages: Upper Elementary, Middle and High School
Summary: Courage in the face of loss. American Indian theme.

Lifetimes
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Summary: Reviews the life cycle of plants, animals and humans. Good for anticipated loss.

Sad Isn’t Bad
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Summary: This is a guide book that may be helpful to specific issues related to feelings and grief.

Saying Goodbye
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Summary: Has ideas for groups that could be adapted to curriculum

Saying Goodbye to Your Pet
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Summary: Has ideas about pet loss but could adapt concepts to issues for groups.

Tear Soup
Ages: Upper Elementary and Middle school
Summary: The loss is about a grandfather who dies and how the grandmother works through her grief. Good for coping strategies.

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf
Ages: All ages
Summary: Life and death issues are explored and are especially good for anticipated loss.

The Memory String by Ted Rand
Ages: Lower and Upper Elementary
Summary: A young girl who lost her mother remembers her family as she struggles with the marriage of her father and the new relationship she has with her stepmother.

What’s Heaven by Maria Shriver
Ages: All ages
Summary: This beautifully illustrated book describes heaven after the death of her grandmother.

What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies?
Ages: Middle School
Summary: Answers to questions about loss. Good resource to start dialogues.

When Dinosaurs Die
Ages: Lower Elementary
Summary: This may not be a book that you read entirely but had great sections to address:

  • What alive means
  • Why someone dies
  • What does dead mean
  • Feelings about death
  • Saying goodbye
  • Keeping customs
  • What comes after death
  • Ways to remember

When Someone Very Special Dies
Ages: Upper Elementary
Summary: Good Worksheets

  • Definition of Grief p. 3
  • Feelings in my body p. 14 & 15
  • Letting out anger p. 18
  • Many people care about me p. 29

When Something Terrible Happens
Ages: Upper Elementary and Middle School
Summary: Good for traumatic losses

  • Sudden loss p. 2
  • Grief p. 8

Why Charlie Brown Why?
Ages: Upper Elementary
Summary: Book about childhood serious illness and hospitalization.