Best Grief Books for Kids Ages 7-12

Grief is the natural, normal and necessary response to loss. It is made up of many different emotions – ranging from sadness to anger to guilt and everything in between. Adjusting to loss in a long process and is unique to each and every person. Kids and adults face the same jumble of confusing emotions. Books can be an important tool for understanding emotions and sparking conversation. The following books have been chosen as the top choices for children aged 7-12. Make sure to also check out our recommended books for grieving the loss of a parent, sibling, friend, grandparent, and anticipatory grief.

Cape, by Kevin Johnson

In Cape, Kevin Johnson has crafted an achingly beautiful and honest story about processing and redefining grief after the loss of a loved one. With evocative illustrations by New York Times bestselling artist Kitt Thomas, Cape is a powerful, unforgettable, and necessary story. Link to Purchase**

Grief is a Mess, by Jackie Schuld**

Grief is a Mess is an illustrated book for grieving children and adults who need a healthy dose of understanding, comfort, and laughter. Through humorous animal illustrations, the book explores how grief is different for everyone and can change without warning. Having lost her mother to cancer, author/illustrator Jackie Schuld uses her illustrations to remind us to be kind to others and patient with ourselves as we find our way through the mess of grief. Link to Purchase

The ABCs of Grief, by Jessica Correnti

Grief is messy and complicated. The ABCs of Grief is a children’s book that walks through each letter of the alphabet to unpack different aspects of the grief experience. This is the perfect book for children facing grief related to: death, moving, illness, traumatic medical experiences, new diagnoses, natural and manmade disasters, big changes with school or other activities, feeling ‘different’ from others, abuse, immigration, foster care, absent or distant caregivers, and more. The book includes a QR code that takes you to a freebie download including 30 activities for grieving kids. Link to Purchase

Death is Stupid, by Anastasia Higgenbotham**

When someone we love dies, adults often say things like, She’s in a better place now, or I know how you feel. You do not, one little boy thinks after his grandma passes away. Caught in the swirl of anger, confusion, and fear that accompanies grief and mourning, he doesn’t just think death is unfair–he thinks death is stupid. It takes him some time, but when he starts sharing cherished memories of his grandma and working in her garden, he starts to feel just a little bit better. Necessary, beautiful, and ultimately reassuring, Death Is Stupid helps make death a little less scary–for kids and adults. Link to Purchase

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, by Rita Williams-Garcia**

Clayton feels most alive when he’s with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, and the band of Bluesmen—he can’t wait to join them, just as soon as he has a blues song of his own. But then the unthinkable happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies, and Clayton’s mother forbids Clayton from playing the blues. And Clayton knows that’s no way to live. Armed with his grandfather’s brown porkpie hat and his harmonica, he runs away from home in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road. But on the journey that takes him through the New York City subways and to Washington Square Park, Clayton learns some things that surprise him. Link to Purchase

The Wolf’s Curse, by Jessica Vitalis**

Gauge’s life has been cursed since the day he cried Wolf and was accused of witchcraft. The Great White Wolf brings only death, Gauge’s superstitious village believes. If Gauge can see the Wolf, then he must be in league with it. So instead of playing with friends in the streets or becoming his grandpapa’s partner in the carpentry shop, Gauge must hide and pretend he doesn’t exist. But then the Wolf comes for his grandpapa. And for the first time, Gauge is left all alone, with a bounty on his head and the Wolf at his heels. A young feather collector named Roux offers Gauge assistance, and he is eager for the help. But soon the two–both recently orphaned–are questioning everything they have ever believed about their village, about the Wolf, and about death itself. Narrated by the sly, crafty Wolf, Jessica Vitalis’s debut novel is a vivid and literary tale about family, friendship, belonging, and grief. Link to Purchase

Pie in the Sky, by Remy Lai**

When Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he’s landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn’t speak English, and he’s often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao. All while grieving the loss of his father who loved to bake. To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she’s at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they’ll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama. Link to Purchase

The Red Pencil, by Andrea Davis Pickney**

The powerful story of one girl’s triumphant journey, inspired by true tales of life in Sudan — now in paperback. Life in Amira’s peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when Janjaweed attackers arrive, unleashing unspeakable horrors. After losing nearly everything, Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey on foot to safety at a refugee camp. She begins to lose hope, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind — and all kinds of possibilities. Link to Purchase

The House that Lou Built, by Mae Respicio**

Lou Bulosan-Nelson has the ultimate summer DIY project. She’s going to build her own tiny house, 100 square feet all her own. She shares a room with her mom in her grandmother’s house, and longs for a place where she can escape her crazy but lovable extended Filipino family. Lou enjoys her woodshop class and creating projects, and she plans to build the house on land she inherited from her dad, who died before she was born. But then she finds out that the land may not be hers for much longer. Lou discovers it’s not easy to save her land, or to build a house. But she won’t give up; with the help of friends and relatives, her dream begins to take shape, and she learns the deeper meaning of home and family. Link to Purchase

The Girl with the Ghost Machine, by Lauren DeStefano**

When Emmaline Beaumont’s father started building the ghost machine, she didn’t expect it to bring her mother back from the dead. But by locking himself in the basement to toil away at his hopes, Monsieur Beaumont has become obsessed with the contraption and neglected the living, and Emmaline is tired of feeling forgotten. Nothing good has come from building the ghost machine, and Emmaline decides that the only way to bring her father back will be to make the ghost machine work . . . or destroy it forever. Link to Purchase

The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani**

It’s 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders. Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it’s too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can’t imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together. Told through Nisha’s letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a heartfelt story of one girl’s search for home, for her own identity…and for a hopeful future. Link to Purchase

Am I Like My Daddy?, by Marcy Blesy

A book designed to help children who are coping with the loss of a loved one several years after their death. Children are encouraged to express through journaling what may be so difficult to express through everyday conversation. Am I Like My Daddy? teaches about loss through reflection. Link to Purchase

Tear Soup, by Pat Schwiebert

Affirms the bereaved. Educates the un-bereaved. A building-block for children….. WINNER of the 2001 Theologos Book Award, presented by the Association of Theological Booksellers. Link to Purchase

The Invisible String, by Patrice Karst**

Specifically written to address children’s fear of being apart from the ones they love, The Invisible String delivers a particularly compelling message in today’s uncertain times that though we may be separated from the ones we care for, whether through anger, or distance or even death, love is the unending connection that binds us all, and, by extension, ultimately binds every person on the planet to everyone else. Link to Purchase

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, by Leo Buscaglia**

This story by Leo Buscaglia is a warm, wonderfully wise and strikingly simple story about a leaf names Freddie. How Freddie and his companion leaves change with the passing seasons, finally falling to the ground with winter’s snow, is an inspiring allegory illustrating the delicate balance between life and death. Link to Purchase

When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief, by Marge Heegaard**

This book was designed to teach basic concepts of death and help children understand and express the many feelings they have when someone special dies. Communication is increased and coping skills are developed as they illustrate their books with their personal story. Link to Purchase

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, by Judith Viorst**

My cat Barney died this Friday. I was very sad. My mother said we could have a funeral for him, and I should think of ten good things about Barney so I could tell them… But the small boy who loved Barney can only think of nine. Later, while talking with his father, he discovers the tenth — and begins to understand. Link to Purchase

Edna, by Susan Paradis**

This book is for anyone who has been affected by a variety of difficulties – grief, loss, anxiety, bullying, or trauma. Edna, a young elephant, is deeply troubled by bad memories. She tries to hide them but becomes trapped by them instead. One day Ms. Maxwell arrives and patiently offers to help. Together they work hard to untangle Edna’s thoughts and feelings. Edna depicts Edna’s journey from shame and helplessness to hope, trust, and, ultimately, joy. Link to Purchase

Draw It Out by Art With Heart

Draw It Out is a therapeutic activity book for elementary-aged kids with complex and confusing emotions. Developed under the guidance of 27 mental health experts, the age-appropriate, research-based prompts serve as a springboard for courageous conversations, helping kids develop strategies for healing. Draw It Out invites kids to share their emotions, identify their support system, and clarify misconceptions—validating and normalizing their experiences. By encouraging expression and discussion, Draw It Out provides a creative vehicle for developing a visual and verbal vocabulary for loss, as well as a supportive structure to teach social and emotional learning strategies while building resilience. Link to Purchase

Please let us know if you have any favorites that we are missing. Email Sarah

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