Children’s books & resources to help with death, dying and illness

Below is a list of Australian books that may be helpful to assist children under 12 to better understand death and loss, or illness (particularly cancer):

• The Tiny Star by Mem Fox (As a grand mother I also worried about how one day my death may impact my much loved grand children – and Mem had a similar worry. The Tiny Star with divine illustrations done by Freya Blackwood is a one in a million picture book. Poignant and perfect as a gift for any family).
• Roses Are Blue by Sally Murphy
• My Mum’s Got Cancer by Dr Lucy Blunt
• Molly’s Memory Jar by Norma Spaulding
• The Important Things by Peter Carnavas
• The Balloon Cloud by Clare Hanlon
• My Mum Has Breast Cancer by Lisa Sewards
• What’s Dead Mean (activity book) by Doris Zagdanski
• What About Me? by George Vlamakis
• The Lilac Ladies by Jenny Hughes
• Tiddycat by Josephine Croser
• The Very Best of Friends by Margaret Wild
• Lifetimes by Bryan Mellonie
• Yesterday You Were Here by Melissa Little
• Benson the Boxer by Karen Ferry
• Finn’s Feather by Rachel Noble
• Farewell Old Faithful by Claire Bickford
• Happy Hearts by Jevita Nilson
• Audrey’s Dad by Jean Muthukumaraswamy
• Where are you Lydie? by Emma Poore
• You, Me and the Rainbow by Petrea King (also see Petrea’s rainbow ritual for kids on the Quest for Life website)
• Where are you Harry? by Sunny Ling
• Is Heaven Farther Than the North Pole? by Molly Rubesh

Some other helpful titles available from overseas authors:

• A Sky of Diamonds by Camille Gibbs
• Ida, Always by Caron Levis and illustrated by Charles Santoso
• I Wish I Could Hold Your Hand by Dr Pat Palmer
• Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman
• The Very Best of Friends by Margaret Wild
• The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup
• The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic
• Heart in a Bottle by Oliver Jeffers
• Frog Ballet by Amanda McCardie
• Little Elephant Underfoot by Sally Grindley
• What Happens When We Die by JR Becke
• Always Remember by Cece Meng
• My Yellow Balloon by Tiffany Papageorge
• The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Bascaglia
• Buddy and Bea by Len Saunders
• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
• The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr
• It Will be Okay by Lysa TerKeurst
• My Superhero Grandpa by Michelle McAvoy
• Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie DePaola
• Grandpa’s Stories by Joseph Coelho
• Emily Lost Someone She Loved by Kathleen Fucci
• Grief is Like a Snowflake by Julia Cook
• Everett Anderson’s Goodbye by Lucille Clifton
• Missing Mommy by Rebecca Cobb
• Chester Racoon and the Acorn Full of Memories by Audrey Penn
• The Rough Patch by Brian Lies
• I’ll Always Love You by Hans Wilhelm
• Cat Heaven and Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant
• The End of Something Wonderful by Stephanie Lucianovic
• Where are you Lydie? by Emma Poore
• The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford Smith
• Everywhere Still: a book about loss, grief and the way love continues by M.H. Clark

Some other useful resources on supporting children through death and loss