When your heart is broken from grief, it helps to read a book to give words to all the complex feelings that are in your heart.

Each grief book I’ve read offers new perspectives or ideas that comfort and help to make peace with my grief.

Below are some great books that have helped me. Obviously, grief is personal and what works for me may not work for you. However, I’ve read nearly 100 storybooks about grief, middle-grade and teen books and many non-fiction books.

My favourite non-Fiction grief books:

1. Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman
2. Healing a Child’s Grieving Heart by Dr. Alan Wolfelt
3. The Little Black Funeral Dress by Shirley Thiessen
4. When a Child you love is Grieving by Ivan Harold Smith
5. Finding Meaning by David Kessler
6. A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
7. Anxiety: the missing stage of Grief by Claire Bidwell Smith
8. The Mourning Handbook by Helen Fitzgerald
9. On Grief and Grieving by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler
10. The Grieving Child by Helen Fitzgerald

My favourite fiction grief books:

1. Tear Soup by Chuch Deklyen and Pat Schwiebert
2. Addy’s Cup of Sugar by Jon J. Muth
3. Grandpa’s Island by Benji Davies
4. Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead mom graphic novel by Tyler Feder
5. Life is like the Wind by Thona Innes and Irisz Agoc

 

I’ve read many, many more books about grief than I have listed here, but these are the ones that left a lasting impression on me for positive reasons. The first grief book I ever read was “Motherless Daughters” by Hope Edelman, which comforted me beyond words. I pray you find resources that help you or a child you love, navigate grief.

I will update this list as I find more books that speak to my grief, and possibly, yours.

Let me know if you’ve read one that I should add to my list!

Kathleen