Resources for Grieving: Ages 3 to 6
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About dying by Sara Bonnett Stein. Walker & Company : 1974
Parents and children together. Ages 3 - 6.

Alicia Has A Bad Day by Lisa Jahn-Clough. Houghton Mifflin : 1994.
For no apparent reason, Alicia wakes up in a bad mood. After trying several things to cheer herself, she finally crawls under her bed, where her dog licks her face, turning her back into the happy person she normally is. Ages 3-6.

Animal Crackers: A Tender Book About Death and Funerals and Love by Bridget Marshall. Centering Corporation: 1998.
This book explores aging, memory loss and a special kind of love when a young child's Nanny must go to a nursing home and later dies. They all remember Nanny's Animal Crackers! Ages 3-6.

Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles. Little Brown : 1971.
A poignant, understated, rather brave story of a very real child and how she learns about death. Set against a background of Navajo traditions and contemporary Indian life.
Ages 3-6.

Baby Angels by Jane Cowen-Fletcher. Candlewick Press : 1996.
From the moment baby opens her eyes, baby angels, clad in diapers, act as her guardians. They are her safety net as she climbs out of her crib, and they follow her as she toddles silently, unseen, past her unsuspecting parents and out the door. Ages 3-6.

Badger's Parting Gifts by Susan Varley. Mullberry : 1984.
All the woodland creatures love old Badger, and when he dies, they are overwhelmed by their loss. Then, they begin to remember, and through their memories, the animals find the strength to face the future with hope. Ages 3-6.

The Brightest Star by Kathleen Maresh Hemery. Centering Corporation: 1998.
Molly was scared when her mom was in the hospital and angry when her mother died. She didn't know what to draw when the teacher asked the class to draw a picture of their families. Molly discovers that love never dies and memories stay with you forever.
Ages 3-6.

Caretakers of Wonder by Edens Cooper. Green Tiger Press : 1980.
Wonders of nature- gives a very magical feeling. Ages 3-6

Children's Letters to God by Stuart Hample Workman Press : 1991.
Dear God: I saw a falling star. You should be more careful-Steven. Full of honesty, quirky juxtapositions of thought, and the innocence that all of us recognize, it speaks to the child inside us, and our own childlike wonder. Ages 3-6.

Daddy Is A Monster Sometimes by John Steptoe. J. B. Lippincott, 1973.
Feelings that children have. Ages 3-6.

The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown. Dell Pub.: 1938.
Finding a still warm but dead bird, a group of children give it a fitting burial and every day, until they forget, come again to the woods to sing to the dead bird and place fresh flowers on its grave. Ages 3-6.

Dear Uncle Dave by Yuri Evelyn Norton. Shirley B. Warning : 1993.
The loss of a beloved uncle by a 9-year-old girl. Ages 3-6.

The Ear Book by Al Perkins. Random House : 1968.
A boy and his dog listen to the world around them. Ages 3-6.

Evertt Anderson's Goodbye by Lucille Clifton. Henry Holt : 1983.
A simple, poetic telling of Everett Anderson's feelings as he copes with andaccepts the fact of his father's death. Ages 3-6.

The Fox Friend by Elizabeth Coatsworth. MacMillan Co. : 1966.
Dog story. Ages 3-6.

Geranium Morning: A Book About Grief by E. Sandy Powell. Carolrhoda Books : 1990.
Timothy's father dies in an automobile accident while on his yearly excursion to buy geraniums; Frannie's mother is dying of a rare disease. The two children gain some comfort by sharing the alienation and loneliness of bereavement. Ages 3-6.

Happiness Hill by Leland Jacobs. Merrill : 1960.
Short stories for children about families, pets, nature etc. Ages 3-6.

Happy Birthday To You! by Su Chen Fang. Barron's : 1996.
In a bizarre blend of cheeriness and morbidity, a boy befriends a girl who explains that she has cancer and blithely demonstrates how she plucks petals off daisies to see if she will live. Ages 3-6.

I Know I Made It Happen by Lynn Bennett Blackburn. Ctr. Corp. : 1991.
Feelings. Ages 3 - 6.

Island Boy by Barbara Cooney. Puffin : 1991.
Matthias and his family strive to keep the island beautiful and respect the old ways by passing them on from one generation to the next. Ages 3-6.

The Jester Has Lost His Jingle by David Saltzman. Jester Co., Inc. : 1995.
The Jester awakes one morning to find laughter missing in his kingdom, and he sets off to recover it in this whimsical rhyming story, which teaches kids about love and overcoming overwhelming odds. Ages 3-6.

Lifetimes: the Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie.
Bantam : 1983. A pet . . . a friend . . . or a relative dies, and it must be explained to a child. This sensitive book is a useful tool in explaining to children that death is a part of life and that, eventually, all living things reach the end of their own special lifetimes. Ages 3-6.

The Little Kid's Four Seasons Craft Book by Jackie Vermeer and Marian Lariviere, Taplinger publishing company: 1974. This book provides ideas and projects to keep children entertained. It also offers how-to instructions to create exciting crafts.

My Mom is Fantastic by Nick Butterworth. Walker Books : 1989.
The great things about moms, through the eyes of a child.
Ages 3-6.

Nana Upstairs Nana Downstairs by Tomie DePaola. G. P. Putnam, 1973.
Tommy is four years old, and he loves visiting the home of his grandmother, Nana Downstairs, and his great-grandmother, Nana Upstairs. But one day Tommy's mother tells him Nana Upstairs won't be there anymore, and Tommy must struggle with saying good-bye to someone he loves. Ages 3-6.

Only Opal by Opal Whiteley. Illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Putnam and Grosset : 1994.
Born about 1900, Opal Whiteley was five when she was sent to live with an Oregon loggers' family after her parents went to Heaven. Ages 3-6.

Play Book by Steven Caney. Workman Publishing Company:1975. This book is a resource of entertaining activities and play projects that can be ready in moments. These imaginative ideas make use of available resources and stimulate creativity. For activities with children between the ages of 3-6.

Remember the Butterflies by Anna Grossnickle Hines. Dutton Children's Book : 1991.
One summer, two children bring a dead butterfly to their grandfather, and he explains the life cycle of the butterfly to them. That winter, when Grandpa dies, the children and their mother talk about all the things he shared with them, and they see themselves as part of the cycle of life. Ages 3-6.

Sam's Grandma by Darlene Kloeppel. Darlene Kloeppel : 1981.
Coloring book. Ages 3-6

Snips & Snails & Walnut Whales Whale: Nature Crafts for Children by Phyllis Fiarotta. Workman Press : 1975.
Leaf printing, daisy chains, sachet bags, wild bird feeders, apple pin cushions, sand paintings, melon seed necklaces, and more in this child's garden of crafts. A companion volume to Sticks & Stones & Ice Cream Cones, it offers over 100 creative projects to make. Ages 3-6.

Someone Special Died by John Singleton Prestine. Price/Stern/Sloan Published:1987.
An easy to read story that helps children explore feelings over death in a sensitive and practical way.

Story of Jumping Mouse by John Steptoe. Mulberry : 1992.
Based on a Native American legend, this is the tale of a compassionate, courageous mouse who journeys to a far-off land and becomes a magnificent soaring eagle. Ages 3-6.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.
The story of naughty Peter who disobeyed his mother and nearly came to grief in Mr. McGregor's garden.. Ages 3-6.

Thanksgiving Activity Book by Dan Hayes. Ideals Children's Books : 1992.
Fun-filled pages are packed with puzzles stories games recipes crafts and full-color cutouts for a model of the first Thanksgiving. Ages 3-6.

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst. Atheneum : 1971.
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. Ages 3-6.

There's A Nightmare In My Closet by Mercer Mayer. Penguin : 1968.
Childhood fear of the dark and the resulting exercise in imaginative exaggeration are given that special Mercer Mayer treatment in this dryly humorous fantasy. Ages 3-6.

A Time for Remembering by Chuck Thurman. Simon and Schuster : 1989.
After his grandfather's death, a boy sits alone to remember their shared experiences, then returns to the warmth of his own parents Ages 3-6.

Timothy Duck by Lynn Bennett Blackburn. Centering Corporation: 1987.
Timothy Duck talks about all the feelings he has after his favorite boy gets ill and dies. He discovers the importance of saying goodbye. He also discovers that even though he will miss his friend and remember him, life at the pond goes on. Ages 3-6.

When Sophis Get Angry, Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang. Blue Sky Press : 1999.
An elegant and thought-provoking book for young children in which they learn how to deal with emotions. Ages 3-6.

Where's Jess by Joy Johnson. Centering Corporation:
A small boy's sibling dies and he notices she is gone. The parents tell him what death is about and how it is all right to remember and talk about Jess. Ages 3-6.