It goes without saying that books can be a wonderful and powerful tool for helping children cope through transitions. In some cases, by reading a book, a child can identify with a character or storyline and better retain and process a message, rather than by it being directly explained.



Recently, we've talked a lot about how to explain death to a child. Today, Pam Allyn the Executive Director of LitLife, a nationally recognized organization specializing in transformative school improvement through literacy education is sharing with us a list of children books that can be used to work through times of loss.



Q:  What Books Can I Read to My Child About Death?

A: •    Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles, illustrated by Peter Parnall (Little, Brown and Company: 1972)

    •    Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley (HarperCollins Publishers: 1984)

    •    Beyond the Ridge by Paul Goble (Simon & Schuster: 1993)

    •    Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant (The Blue Sky Press: 1995)

    •    Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles (Gulliver Books: 2005)

    •    A Grand Old Tree by Mary Newell DePalma (Arthur A. Levine Books: 2005)

    •    I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas, illustrated by Lesley Harker (Barron’s Education Series: 2001)

    •    Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie (Bantam: 1983)

    •    Michael Rosens’ Sad Book by Michale Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Candlewick Press: 2004)

    •    The Mountains of Tibet by Mordicai Gerstein (HarperTrophy: 1989)

    •    My Grandson Lew by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrations by William Pène du Bois (HarperTrophy: 1974)

    •    Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola (Puffin: 1973)

    •    Rattlesnake Mesa by EdNah New Rider Weber (Lee  & Low Books: 2004)

    •    Rudi’s Pond by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ronald Himler (Clarion Books: 1999)

    •    The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Erik Blegvad (Atheneum Books for Young Readers: 1987)

    •    The Two of Them by Aliki (Greenwillow Books: 1979)

     

Pam Allyn is the Executive Director of LitLife, a nationally recognized organization specializing in transformative school improvement through literacy education. She is also the Executive Director of LitWorld, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to bringing quality education to the world's most vulnerable children. LitWorld is producing a global celebration of reading on March 3, 2010, World Read Aloud Day.

 Pam is the author of an inspirational book for parents, teachers and caregivers entitled What to Read When, published by Penguin in April 2009. What to Read When has won the 2009 Gold Award from the National Parenting Publications Association and has been featured across the country on radio and television programs, in publications and throughout the blogosphere.

To read her full bio, visit PamAllyn.com