Support & information Books, films and resources Resources for adults supporting bereaved children and young people This list includes books and resources for adults supporting bereaved children and families, including those with special educational and additional needs. See also our separate list of books and resources for children and young people. For further help in finding resources, email [email protected] or call our Helpline on 0800 02 888 40. Please note: inclusion on this list does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by Child Bereavement UK, as we are aware that whether a book is helpful or not is subjective and as such is a decision that can only be made by the individual reader. If you purchase from Amazon via the hyperlinks below, Child Bereavement UK will receive a small commission from Amazon. It will not affect your purchase price, and your support enables us to support more bereaved families. Thank you. When your Partner Dies: Supporting your children Author: Child Bereavement UK Available from Child Bereavement UK. A short booklet which offers guidance for a surviving partner when parenting their bereaved children as well as coping with their own grief. It was developed with help from bereaved families and was kindly funded by BBC Children in Need. Also useful for GP surgeries, Health visitors etc. A Child's Grief: supporting a child when someone in their family has died Author: Di Stubbs, Julie Stokes, Katrina Alilovic Buy from Amazon This booklet offers practical suggestions and activities for adults who are supporting children through a bereavement. It covers a range of issues that may affect a child when someone important to them dies, both immediately and in the longer term. You Just Don’t Understand: Supporting bereaved teenagers Author: Helen Mackinnon Buy from Amazon The transition from childhood to adulthood can be a challenging process at the best of times. This booklet aims to help you understand what is normal adolescent development, and to recognise the additional problems teenagers may face if someone important dies during these years. Someone Very Important Has Just Died Author: Mary Turner Buy from Amazon This short book tackles the sensitive issues of what to tell children, how far to include them in the events immediately after the death, and how to tend to their physical and emotional needs. The material is suitable for anyone regardless of their background and beliefs, and is supplemented with information on where to go to obtain longer term bereavement support. Talking About Death Author: Earl Grollman Buy from Amazon This guide to helping children cope with death includes an illustrated, read-along story, and discusses coping with a child’s anger, denial or guilt, and how to discuss funerals, cemeteries and grief. Grief in Children: A Handbook for Adults Author: Atle Dyregov Buy from Amazon This fully updated second edition of “Grief in Children” explains children’s understanding of death at different ages and gives a detailed outline of exactly hoe the adults around them can best help them cope. The Little Book of Bereavement for Schools Author: Ian Gilbert Buy from Amazon A short, personal account of the way various schools tried to support the author’s three children after the death of their mother. A book for a parent to take into any school wondering how best to support grieving pupils. It opens with a brief 15 point guide which would be a helpful starting point. Supporting Teenagers Through Grief And Loss Author: Anna Jacobs A wealth of advice and helpful suggestions for those helping children through bereavement and loss. This book gives an overview of different behaviours you may encounter in school and how to respond, as well as discussing questions children may ask and how to answer them. Children's understanding of death varies according to stage of development and the author provides guidance on age-appropriate, honest responses along with a toolkit of creative and arts activities to help children examine and understand their emotions, physical feelings and memories. Buy from Amazon The Little Book of Bereavement for Schools Author: Ian GilbertA short, personal account of the way various schools tried to support the author's three children after the death of their mother. A good book for a parent to take into any school wondering how best to support grieving pupils. It opens with a brief 15 point guide which would be a helpful starting point. Buy from Amazon Feelings and Emotions The Huge Bag of Worries Author: Virginia Ironside The usually happy Jenny has started to have lots of worries until they grow into a huge bag of worries that follow her everywhere. They are there when she goes swimming, when she is watching TV, and even when she is in the lavatory. Jenny decides they will have to go. But who can help her? Buy from Amazon Silly Billy Author: Anthony Browne Billy is a bit of a worrier. He worries so much he can’t sleep. Luckily Grandma knows just what he needs to help him overcome his fears. And once Billy learns Grandma’s secret, he finds he never has to worry again. Buy from Amazon What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety Author: Dawn Huebner This book guides children and parents through the cognitive-behavioural techniques most often used in the treatment of anxiety. Lively metaphors and illustrations make the concepts and strategies easy to understand, which clear how-to steps and prompts do draw and write help children master new skills related to reducing anxiety. Buy from Amazon Relax Kids: Aladdin’s Magic Carpet and other Fairytale Medications for Children Author: Marneta Viegas Using well-known and loved fairy tales, this publication is a gentle and fun way of introducing children to the world of meditation and relaxation. It is designed to counteract some of the tensions with which we are all familiar at the end of a busy day, and offers parents and children together some quality time to relax and share. Buy from Amazon A Nifflenoo Called Nevermind Author: Margot Sunderland Nevermind always carries on whatever happens! Each time something horrible happens to him he just tucks his feelings away and carries on with life. Find out what happens to Nevermind and how he begins to understand that his feelings do matter, how he learns to express them and stand up for himself. Buy from Amazon How Hattie Hated Kindness Author: Margot Sunderland This is a story for children locked in rage or hate. Hattie lives by herself on an island. She likes anything hard and spiky. Lots of people try to bring kindness to Hattie on her island, but each time she is very horrid to them, so after a while they all stop coming to the island. Hattie is very alone. But the lapping-water-over-her-toes helps Hattie to understand that because she'd been a very sad and frightened little girl in a too hard world, she had become hard too, so that the awful fear and the awful pain would go away. In the end, Hattie builds a bridge to the warm and cosy world across the water. Buy from Amazon A Volcano in My Tummy: Helping Children to Handle Anger Author: Éliane Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney This book presents a clear and effective approach to helping children and adults alike understand and deal constructively with children's anger. By carefully distinguishing between anger the feeling, and violence the behaviour, this accessible book, primarily created for ages 6 to thirteen, helps to create an awareness of anger, enabling children to relate creatively and harmoniously at critical stages in their development. Through activities, stories, articles, and, A Volcano in My Tummy gives the tools needed to put aside our problems with this all-too-often destructive emotion, and to have fun while we're at it. Buy from Amazon The Red Beast: Controlling Anger in Children with Asperger's Syndrome Author: K.I. Al-Ghani Although written for children with Asperger’s syndrome, this book has been incredibly helpful for other children, young people and even adults who struggle with anger. This vibrant fully illustrated children's storybook is written for children aged 5+ but can also be helpful for older children and young people, and is an accessible, fun way to talk about anger, with useful tips about how to 'tame the red beast' and guidance for parents on how anger affects children. Buy from Amazon A Terrible Thing Happened Author: Margaret M Holmes Sherman Smith saw the most terrible thing happen. At first he tried to forget about it, but soon something inside him started to bother him. He felt nervous for no reason. Sometimes his stomach hurt. He had bad dreams. And he started to feel angry and do mean things, which got him in trouble. Then he met Ms. Maple, who helped him talk about the terrible thing that he had tried to forget. Now Sherman is feeling much better. This gently told and tenderly illustrated story is for children who have witnessed any kind of violent or traumatic episode, including physical abuse, school or gang violence, accidents, homicide, suicide, and natural disasters such as floods or fire. An afterword by Sasha J. Mudlaff written for parents and other caregivers offers extensive suggestions for helping traumatized children, including a list of other sources that focus on specific events. Buy from Amazon Why Do We Have to Move? Author: Joy O'NeillWritten to support any child worried about moving, especially Armed Forces Buy from Amazon Culture and beliefs Caring for Dying People of Different Faiths Author: Julia Neuberger Buy from Amazon Now in its third edition this book covers the practical and ethical issues surrounding caring for people with different faiths. It outlines the various cultures of Jewish, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist faiths, which are of relevance to health and healthcare, and gives practical advice on providing care in a culturally appropriate manner. Considerably expanded and now including a new chapter on Humanism, it will be essential reading for all healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and other hospital and hospice staff treating people with different faiths. Palliative Care for South Asians: Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs: A Practical Guide Author: Rashid Gatrad, Erica Brown and Aziz Sheikh Buy from Amazon This book aims to describe the needs of palliative care patients from south Asia minority ethnic and faith traditions. Chapters include: Understanding diversity in context, Palliative care needs of south Asians – similarities and differences; Muslims; Hindus; Language of religious symbolism. We Need to Talk About the Funeral: 101 Practical Ways to Commemorate and Celebrate Life Author: Simon Smith and Jane Morell Buy from Amazon This book informs about the wide choices available when arranging a funeral. It offers guidance about how to make a funeral ceremony that both commemorates and celebrates a life, and provides comfort, inspiration and good memories. Memorials by Artists for Young People, Children and Babies Author: Harriett FrazerA guide to help familes who are facing the extremely hard task of finding a memorial to celebrate the life of a young person, from birth to 30 years. Buy from Amazon Special educational and additional needs A Special Kind of Grief Author: Sarah Helton Buy from Amazon Children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), especially those in special schools, often experience grief at a much younger age than others, as some of their peers are more likely to have life-limiting medical conditions. This book provides all the resources that educational professionals need to ensure their community is fully prepared to acknowledge and support pupil bereavement and loss. Remembering Lucy: A Story about Loss and Grief in School Author: Sarah Helton Buy from Amazon This touching short story will help children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) aged 3+ understand feelings caused by death and loss, and the illustrations help convey the complex experience of bereavement in a simple and clear way. Included is a teacher’s guide to talking about bereavement, grief and loss, making this the ideal aid for teachers and support staff at SEND schools and colleges. Interventions with Bereaved Children Author: Smith and Pennells Buy from Amazon A resource with lots of practical ideas. Twenty contributors share effective ways of supporting and helping bereaved children. Chapter 13 is titled, “Helping Families and Professionals to Work with Children who have Learning Difficulties.” Autism and Loss Author: R V Forrester-Jones Buy from Amazon “Autism and Loss” is a complete resource that covers a variety of kinds of loss, including bereavement. It includes factsheets and practical ideas which families and professional carers may find useful. Finding Your Own Way to Grieve Author: Karla Helbert Buy from Amazon A creative activity workbook for grieving children and teens on the Autistic Spectrum. The clear concise language will help adults communicate with children around the abstract concepts of death and grief. Lets Talk About Death Author: Down’s Syndrome Scotland Buy from Down's Syndrome Scotland A booklet about death and funerals for young people and adults who have a learning disability. Includes some simple text on why people die, what happens at funerals and possible grief reactions. Photographs support the text. When Mum Died Author: Hollins and Sireling Buy from Amazon This book takes an honest and straightforward approach to death and grief in the family. The pictures tell the death of a parent in a simple but moving way. “When Mum Died” shows a burial. The approach is non-denominational. Suitable for young people and adults with a learning disability. When Dad Died Author: Hollins and Sireling Buy from Amazon This book take an honest and straightforward approach to death and grief in the family. The pictures tell the death of a parent in a simple but moving way. The approach is non-denominational. Suitable for young people and adults with a learning disability. When Somebody Dies Author: Hollins and Sireling Buy from Amazon Using pictures, the book tells the story of Mary who is very upset when someone she loves dies. She is encouraged by a friend to go to regular bereavement counselling sessions, which help her to feel less sad. John also loses someone he is close to. He is given comfort and companionship by friends and is shown learning to cope better with life. Suitable for young people and adults with a learning disability.