Resources for Dealing with Hospital Visits, Grief or Death
The Child Life Division at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center suggests several books / online resources that might help you and your child with his / her visit at the hospital, feelings and coping, and death and grief.
Most of the books / materials listed below are available through online stores, as well as public libraries. Check with your local children's librarian for additional suggestions.
Hospitalization / Surgery | Feelings and Coping | Death and Grief
Hospitalization / Surgery Resources
Books
Franklin Goes to the Hospital by Sharon Jennings
Age group(s): Preschool
Going to the Hospital by Fred Rogers
Age group(s): Preschool
My Brother Needs an Operation by Anna Marie Jaworski
Age group: Preschool, School Age
No Bigger Than My Teddy Bear by Valerie Pankow
Age group(s): Preschool, School Age
The Hospital by Debbie Bailey
Age group(s): Preschool
When Molly Was in the Hospital: A Book for Brothers and Sisters of Hospitalized Children by Debbie Duncan
Age group(s): School Age
Online Resources
The American Society of Anesthesiologists web site offers My Trip to the Hospital Coloring Book, downloadable in pdf format.
Age group(s): Preschool
The Kids Heath organization web site offers an article titled Going to the Hospital
Age group(s): School Age, Adolescent / Teen
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Feelings and Coping Resources
I'm Mad by Elizabeth Crary
Age group(s): Preschool, School Age
Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt
Age group(s): Preschool, School Age
I Know I Made It Happen by Lynn Bennett Blackburn
Age group(s): School Age
The Boy With a Problem by Joan Fassler
Age group(s): School Age
When Something Terrible Happens by Marge Heegaard
Age group(s): School Age
Hot Stones and Funny Bones: Teens Helping Teens Cope With Stress and Anger by Brian Seaward and Linda Bartlett
Age group(s): Adolescent / Teen
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Death and Grief / Bereavement Resources
For Kids
Books
Tough Boris by Mem Fox
Age group(s): Preschool
I Had a Friend Named Peter: Talking to Children About the Death of a Friend by Janice Cohn
Age group(s): Preschool, School Age
Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children by Bryan Mellonie
Age group(s): Preschool, School Age
No New Baby: For Siblings Who Have a Brother or Sister Die Before Birth by Marilyn Gryte
Age Group(s): Preschool, School Age
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst
Age group(s): Preschool, School Age
When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
Age group(s): Preschool, School Age
Badger's Parting Gifts by Susan Varley
Age group(s): School Age
Tell Me Papa: Answers to Questions Children Ask About Dying and Death by Joy and Marv Johnson
Age group(s): School Age
When Someone Very Special Dies by Marge Heergaard
Age group(s): School Age
Since My Brother Died / Desde Que Murio Mi Hermano by Marisol Munoz-Kiehne
Age group(s): School Age, Adolescent / Teen
In My World by Linda Lazar and Bonnie Crawford
Age group(s): Adolescent / Teen
The Next Place by Warren Hanson
Age group(s): Adolescent / Teen
Online Resource
The Child Bereavement Trust offers online resources, family stories and a family discussion forum to help parents, caregivers, siblings or any family members dealing with grief from the loss of a loved one.
For Parents / Families
Books
Children Die, Too A Centering Corporation Resource
Also available in Spanish
Fly Away Home: For Parents Who Decide to Turn Away From Aggressive Medical Intervention for Their Child Who Has Been on Life Support by Deborah Davis
Goodbye My Child: A Gentle Guide for Parents Whose Child Has Died by Sara Wheeler and Margaret Pike
Help, Comfort, and Hope After Losing Your Baby in Pregnancy or the First Year by Hannah Lothrop
Into the Valley and Out Again: The Story of a Father's Journey by Richard Edler
Love and Remembrance: A Memory Book for Parents Whose Child Has Died by Margot Burkle
Remembering With Love: Messages of Hope for the First Year of Grieving and Beyond by Elizabeth LeVang and Sherokee Ilse
When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner
When the Bough Breaks: Forever After the Death of a Son or Daughter by Judith R. Bernstein
Online Resources
The Child Bereavement Trust offers online resources, family stories and a family discussion forum to help parents, caregivers, siblings or any family members dealing with grief from the loss of a loved one.
The Compassionate Friends, a national nonprofit, self-help support organization that offers friendship, understanding and hope to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings
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