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Hard to be six
Adoff, Arnold
This is one little boy's story of coming to accept his age. He feels inferior to his big ten year old sister and he longs to be old like her. It is not until he talks to his grandmother and sees his grandfather's grave that he realizes that life at any age is hard.

Maggie's whopper
Alexander, Sally
Maggie dreams of catching a whopper sized fish to compete with her older brother. With the help of her aging uncle, Maggie catches her fish and confronts an old bear in the mountains.

Marianthe's story one: Painted words. Marianthe's story two: Spoken memories
Aliki
When a child moves to a new school it can be frightening. Mari not only moved to a new school, but a new culture as well. Mari uses painted pictures to communicate her words and recalls her life through spoken memories.

Go tell aunt rhody
Aliki.
This illustrated version of the children's folk song tells about a goose that dies and is then used to stuff a feather bed.

The two of them
Aliki.
A little girl spends time with her grandfather. They go shopping for food, share a meal together and grow fruit in the garden. An apple tree becomes a good way for the girl to remember her grandfather forever.

For sure! For sure!
Andersen, Hans Christian
Did you know that chickens gossip too? Come read about one chick that plucks out her feathers, supposedly to look good and impress her rooster. After one of her feathers is plucker, an owl sees her actions and spreads the word. The story gets turned around and exaggerated especially when the newspaper prints it.

A name on the quilt: A story of remembrance
Atkins, Jeannine
A family remembers an uncle that died of AIDS by constructing a quilt. Each panel reminds the family of a memory shared with Uncle Ron.

Old black fly
Aylesworth, Jim
An old black fly bothers a crazy mixed-up family by flying around and interrupting every aspect of their lives. The fly progresses through the alphabet by landing first on an apple pie, a baby, cookies, then a dog.

Ouch!
Babbit, Natalie
A baby born with the destiny of marrying a princess is brought by the King and thrown into the river to prevent a possible marriage with his newborn daughter. Rescued by a loving couple, the boy grows up and meets the King once again. The Kings plan to kill the young man backfires again and the young man marries the princess. As a test, the King sends the new prince to steal the golden hairs off the devil's head. In a surprise ending, the prince prevails, but the King is not so lucky.

Nellie: A cat on her own
Babbitt, Natalie
Nellie is a cat marionette, and she belongs to an old woman. When the old woman dies, she becomes friends with Big Tom, a real cat. Big Tom takes her out of the house and into a new home.

If nathan were here
Bahr, Mary
Nathan was a brother, a wonderful best friend, and a great classmate. Then one day, Nathan was gone. If Nathan Were Here tells a story of what it is like for a community and family to lose a loved one. This book shows us the true need and meaning for friendship.

Peacebound trains
Balgassi, Haemi
Sumi, a young Korean girl, lives with her grandmother when her mother goes off to the army. Sumi watches the train go by each day, wishing her mother would come home soon. The train reminds her grandmother of the days of war when she had to leave her own husband.

Home now
Beake, Lesley
How can Sieta feel happy with so many sad pictures inside her head? She remembers her real home far away over the mountains, her parents getting sick, and Aunty taking her to live in a new place she calls Home Now. There Sieta meets another orphan with memories like her own.

Hosni the dreamer: An arabian tale
Ben-Ezer, Ehud
Hosni is a shepherd who spends his days telling stories to his sheep and his nights dreaming about the city. When he finally has the opportunity to travel to the city, his life changes. He hears some special words of wisdom from a wise old man.

Sweet dried apples: A vietnamese wartime childhood
Breckler, Rosemary
It is wartime in Vietnam, and a little girl who lives in the country is faced with the prospect of her father leaving for the army. Her father, the village herb doctor, comes to stay with them until he dies. Their village is bombed and the little girl and her family must flee Vietnam.

One small place in a tree
Brenner, Barbara
A bear scratches the bark of a tree; beetles form small openings; a woodpecker eats the beetles; bacteria takes over the tree and a small hole is formed. Although the tree is dying, this small hole is still a home for many animals. Both living and dying trees are important as shelter and home to living organisms.

The dead bird
Brown, Margaret Wise//Charlip, Remy
A group of young children find a dead bird. They decide to bury the bird. They take the bird to the woods to give it a proper burial. The children mourned, sang, and planted flowers around the dead bird's grave. The children came back to visit the grave, until they forgot.

Fox song
Bruchac, Joseph
Jamie remembers her grandmother and all the things that they did together. These memories help Jamie deal with the loss of her grandmother.

The story of babar the little elephant
Brunhoff, Jean de
Babar is an elephant who has a wonderful adventure. After his mother died tragically from a hunter, Babar goes into the city, where he lives with a little old lady. Upon returning to the forest, Babar is elected king and is married to Celeste, another young elephant. The two set off for their honeymoon.

Winter fox
Brutschy, Jennifer
A little girl gets a pet rabbit and discovers that a fox has eaten her pet. She goes with her father to hunt the fox, but feels sorry for it when she sees its hungry eyes. Then she asks her father not to kill it.

So far from the sea
Bunting, Eve
Laura and her family are moving, so they are coming to visit the Manzanar War Relocation Center one last time. Years ago, this center was used to house anyone living in the United States that were of Japanese descent. These people were forced to leave their homes and come to the center because Japan bombed the United States. The center is bare now except for all of the memories and the cemetary, including her grandfather's grave.

Smoky night
Bunting, Eve
A riot breaks out in a young boys neighborhood which leads to his apartment building catching on fire. This tragedy brings together people from different backgrounds when they share in the trauma of both losing their cats and having their homes taken over by fire.

Terrible things
Bunting, Eve
This story paints the bleak picture of the Terrible Things which takes each of the animals in a clearing. The Terrible Things are equated to hunters.

The wall
Bunting, Eve
A father and son go to the Vietnam Memorial Wall to see the boy's grandfather's name. The little boy does not understand the wall at first, but this experience tells him a little about how his grandfather died.

Clancy's coat
Bunting, Eve
Some old friends have a conflict, but they come back together when one of them needs help.

The little princess
Burnett, Frances Hodge
Young Sara is forced to attend Miss Minchin's select seminary for young girls in London when her father gets shipped off to war. Miss Minchin, the director of the seminary becomes a bit apprehensive about Sara's stay with them because her father said that she is to have the very best of everything. When a note arrives that says Sara's father died, things change for the worse. Poor Sara is forced to live the life of a slave. She eventually meets up with an Indian gentleman who helps her to gain her life back.

Grandpa
Burningham, John
Grandpa and his granddaughter do everything together. Then as Grandpa gets older, he cannot do as much with her. Finally he dies.

The fall of freddie the leaf
Buscaglia, Leo
This book explains the process of life and death by utilizing a tree leaf. Each season is depicted and shows how the leaf grows and eventually dies.

Blow me a kiss, miss lilly
Carlstrom, Nancy White
A young girl, Sara, has an elderly woman as her best friend. They spend much time together. One day the old woman dies and Sara is very sad. She remembers the good things about her best friend and still feels her love.

You hold me and i'll hold you
Carson, Jo
This story deals with death through the eyes of a child. It displays different emotions and questions a child may have. It expresses worry and comfort provided by family members.

Heaven's all star jazz band
Carter, Don
A young boy's grandpa dies and he goes to heaven. In heaven, his Grandpa Jack is in a jazz band with all the great musicians.

When grandpa came to stay
Caseley, Judith
Benny's grandpa visits after his grandma dies. They tell stories, play games, and talk. One day grandpa cries and Benny learns that it is okay to cry.

A fish in his pocket
Cazet, Denys
On his way to school, Russell drops his math book in the pond. The teacher finds a fish in it when she opens it. Russell worries all day long about what to do with the fish. He finally comes up with a solution in art class.

Everett anderson's goodbye
Clifton, Lucille
After his father's death, Everett learns how to accept this loss. The young boy suffers through the five stages of grief to learn that even when someone you love dies, your love for them does not die.

The josefina story quilt
Coerr, Eleanor
A small girl named Faith had a very special friendship with her goose Josefina. Faith is part of a pioneer family moving West. Throughout their journey, Faith makes a patch to represent each event she encounters, including the death of Jusetina. At the end, the quilt tells the story of the friendship between the goose and the little girl.

Jim's dog muffins
Cohen, Miriam
Jim's dog, Muffins, gets killed and when he goes to school, he won't talk to anyone. His friend, Paul, makes him laugh and realize that life goes on even after someone you love dies.

Molly's rosebush
Cohn, Janice
A young girl deals with the loss of her newborn sibling. After spending time with her grandmother, she is better able to understand death.

Miss Bridie chose a shovel
Conner, Leslie
In 1856, Miss Bridie traveled to America with only her family shovel. She finds many uses for her shovel and it proves to be the right choice. She carves her path through life with a simple everyday shovel.

Island boy
Cooney, Barbara
Matthais learns many skills with age. He always returns to his island home and eventually watches new generations of families grow and learn the island ways

The terrible troll-bird
D'Aulaire, Ingri//D'Aulaire, Edgar
Four brothers and sisters are sent to the woods to get firewood and encounter a troll-bird. This causes a lot of trouble and they have to kill it which brings even more trouble!

Papa lucky's shadow
Daly, Niki
Sugar's grandpa, Papa Lucky, has always been a terrific dancer. Papa Lucky teaches Sugar how to dance. She becomes Papa Lucky's dancing shadow after grandma dies.

Dragon in the rocks: A story based on the childhood of early paleontologist Mary Anning
Day, Marie
A twelve year old girl loves to find and dig out fossils from the cliffs along the beach. She helps out her family financially by selling the fossils. She uncovers a rare dinosaur and digs it out by herself. Her determination shows as she pieces the puzzle together.

Cold feet
DeFelice, Cynthia
Playing the bagpipes is Willie McPhee's favorite form of entertainment, but because his audience is unable to pay for his entertainment, Willie is forced to leave. On his journey to find money, he becomes tired and his clothes wear out. Across the forest he sees a dead man and since his shoes are torn, he takes the dead man's boots. As he approaches a house to find hospitality, see how the dead man comes back to haunt him.

Who can kill the lion?
deLeeuw, Adele
A mean lion enters a village and gobbles up many people. The villigers are frightened as people from all over the world try to kill the lion but fail. A little Mexican boy uses his knowledge to capture but not kill the lion.

Saying goodbye to Lulu
Demas, Corinne
A young girl copes with the death of her childhood dog. She loves the dog very much. She remembers when the dog was younger. She overcomes the loss of her dog and remembers him, even shares her memories with her new puppy.

Rumi: Whirling dervish
Demi
Born in Afghanistan in the thirteenth century, Rumi settled in Turkey and became the greatest mystical poet who ever lived. Although he began his adult life as a highly respectable scholar, he found his true calling after becoming the disciple of a mysterious holy man, Shamsuddin, who taught him for three years. From Shams he learned to listen for the sacred sound of God within himself. When his creative spirit was awakened, he recited more than 50,000 rhymed couplets. He wrote about the love that resides in the soul of everyone regardless of religion or background. He founded the order of the whirling dervishes who believed their spinning dances put them in touch with God and brought peace and love into the world. Although Rumi died 800 years ago, his poems are more widely read now than ever. To honor the 800th anniversary of his birth, the United Nations declared 2007 the year of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi.

The worry stone
Dengler, Marianna
When growing up, Amanda loved her Grandfather and his stories. But now that Amanda is old, she feels lonely. One day at the park she befriends a lonely boy. She is able to give the boy something very special. Then he gives her something in return.

Nana upstairs and nana downstairs
dePaola, Tomie
Tommy loves both Nana Downstairs because she is always in the kitchen and a great-grandma, Nana Upstairs, because she is always in bed. Both of them eventually die, and Tommy grows up and learns how to deal with death.

The sleeping lady
Dixon, Ann
Nekatla and Susitha are a young couple preparing to wed. THe wedding is put on hold when war breaks out, and Nekatla must travel to another village to try to restore peace. Susitha waits on a grassy hill for Nekatla to return, and she falls asleep. Nekatla is killed in war, and Susitha never awakens and is now known as the sleeping lady.

The story of edward
Dumas, Philippe
Once in the real world, a donkey tried to pretend he is not a donkey. When he is discovered, he dances the waltz to capture his bride.