A curated list of some of my recommended resources for parents, schools, children and teens. I hope that you can find these useful. For more information you can also visit the blog here.
Resources
Books
Primary aged children
Always & Forever
When Fox dies the rest of his family are absolutely distraught. How will Mole, Otter and Hare go on without their beloved friend? But, months later, Squirrel reminds them all of how funny Fox used to be, and they realise that Fox is still there in their hearts and memories.
Alan Durant
The Invisible String
With over 1.5 million copies sold, this accessible, bestselling picture book phenomenon about the unbreakable connections between loved ones has healed generations of children and adults alike.
Patrice Karst
Badger’s Parting Gifts
Badger is so old that he knows he must soon die, so he does his best to prepare his friends. When he finally passes away, they are grief-stricken, but one by one they remember the special things he taught them during his life.
Susan Varley
Missing Mummy
Written and illustrated by the talented and award-winning author-illustrator Rebecca Cobb, this extraordinary book deals with the loss of a parent from a child's point of view.
Rebecca Cobb
Let’s Talk About When Someone Dies
From Molly Potter, best-selling author of How Are You Feeling Today? and What's Worrying You?, comes a picture book for starting conversations with children about death, bereavement and what happens next.
Molly Potter
Eleven+
You Will Be OK
The death of a parent, sibling or friend is one of the most traumatic experiences for a child or young person and it can be hard to know how to talk to them about it.
Julie Stokes
Still Here With Me
This book is a moving and thoughtful anthology of the experiences of thirty-one children and teenagers who have lost a parent.
Suzanne Sjoqvist
Pre-bereavement
The Secret C
When a family member has cancer it is hard for everyone to understand. It can be particularly difficult when a parent or carer faces the challenge of trying to explain to their child what cancer means and how it may affect their family.
Julie Stokes / Vicky Fuller
When Your Mum or Dad has Cancer
This is a useful short book for younger children (7+) to teenage children. It has an introduction for parents but then explains cancer in a simple way children can relate to.
Ann Couldrick
Websites
Winston’s Wish
We were the UK’s first childhood bereavement charity and have been supporting grieving children and young people since 1992. We continue to lead the way in providing specialist child bereavement support services across the UK.
www.winstonswish.org
Child Bereavement Network
The Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN) is the hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK.
www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk
Child Bereavement UK
Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. We support children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.
www.childbereavementuk.org
Macmillan
Macmillan have lots of resources and information on coping with bereavement.
www.macmillan.org.uk
Grief in Common
Grief in Common is a podcast run by the Winston’s Wish Youth Team. The topics of conversation aim to provide comfort and make a difference to other young grieving people over the age of 13. We hope to give listeners the confidence to talk about their own grief journey.
Winston’s Wish Youth Team (for teens)
Podcasts
The Different Stories Podcast
When her husband was diagnosed with leukaemia when their son was just 7 years old, Fi Wadforth found herself immersed in a world of hospital appointments, diagnoses and treatments. She shares her story for the first time in public in this episode of The Different Stories Podcast of keeping life as normal as possible for her son, while dealing with one of her worst nightmares. Now more than 10 years on, she also talks about how she’s found a part of herself she didn’t know was there before.
Listen to Fiona’s podcast episode here
Grief Works
Death affects us all. Yet it is still the last taboo in our society, and grief is profoundly misunderstood. Hosted by Julia Samuel – a grief psychotherapist with over twenty five years’ experience of working with the bereaved – we hear stories from those who have experienced great love and loss – and survived.
Julia Samuel