Browse Items · Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University

Tags: loss

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A different pond

Phi, Bao

A young boy accompanies his dad to catch fish for food before the sunrises and before other family members awake. The dad tells the bait man at the all-night store that he is starting a second job. The boy meets a Hmong man and a black man who are also fishing -- but this time, it is just the boy and his dad under the starlit sky. The boy learns to make a fire and to bait his hook and to honor the stories of his Dad as he explains how life was in Vietnam when he was a boy. When they return home, the dad and mom head to work while the boy looks after his brothers and sisters.

Tags

african american, author's note, bicycle, bodies of water, counting, feelings, fire, fishing, food, hard work, hmong, illustrator's note, language, learning, loss, morning, multicultural, photograph, pond, poverty, refugee, responsibilities, sadness, siblings, sleep, storytelling, teeth, tree, vietnamese, war, work

A gift for abuelita: Celebrating the day of the dead

Luenn, Nancy

Rosita and her grandmother are very close. Rosita's grandmother teaches Rosita how to braid, garden, and make tortillas. When Rosita's grandmother dies, Rosita feels a great loss without her around and misses her terribly. Her family tells Rosita that she can make a gift to give to her grandmother on the Day of the Dead. Rosita braids a cord that is filled with love and memories for her grandmother.

Tags

author's note, change, culture, death, family, food, garden, grandparents, language, loss, love, mexican american, multicultural, nutrition, parents, presents, reunion, siblings, spanish, stress management, traditions, verbal communication

A smooth move

Rabe, Berniece

Gus and his family move from Portland to Washington D.C. when his dad starts a new job. He keeps a journal to help the move go smoothly. While he misses his friends, Gus knows he will like his new home.

Tags

airplane, anticipation, careers, change, coping, correspondence, family, friendship, loss, moving, parents, school, stress management, transportation, travel, verbal communication

A star shines through

Desnitskaya, Anna

Tags

art, author's note, change, city, community, differences, food, home, language, loss, music, night, perspective, stars, war

A thanksgiving wish

Rosen, Michael

A family overcomes the loss of their grandmother and run into obstacles when cooking Thanksgiving dinner. All their Thanksgiving wishes come true with a kind, helping hand from their new neighbors.

Tags

cooking, critical thinking, death, family, food, grandparents, holidays, Jewish, loss, multicultural, neighbors, nutrition, rain, recipe, television, thanksgiving, traditions, weather, wish

A toothbrush tale

Smith, Stacy

A little boy goes to sleep one night without brushing his teeth, and then he hears a song coming from his bathroom. When he goes to investigate the noise, he finds his toothbrush singing and dancing about why it is so important to brush his teeth every morning and night. Scared that he will develop cavities (or even worse, that his teeth might fall out), the little boy brushes his teeth well and continues to do so every day in order to keep a healthy smile!

After charlotte's mom died

Spelman, Cornelia

Charlotte lost her mother only six months ago, so she and her father still grieve a lot over the death. Charlotte gets into a fight at school and has to see a therapist, Anna. Anna helps Charlotte to bring out her emotions which establishes a better bond between her and her father.

Tags

accidents, affection, aggression, author's note, car, careers, communication, conflict resolution, confusion, coping, death, depression, emotions, family, feelings, fight, guilt, helping, hope, listening, loss, parents, school, stress management, transportation, verbal communication

Almost gone

Jenkins, Steve

All living things are related in some way. The reality of human destruction, and its impact on the survival of animals are key components to the extinction of many animals in our environment. As each species disappears, the world as we know it, forever is changed. Will the little bird who visits your morning windowsill be next?

Amelia's nine lives

Balian, Lorna

A little girl has the misfortune of losing her best friend, a cat named Amelia. Her friends and family try to help the little girl by giving her cats that look like Amelia. In the end, Amelia returns home with four kittens.

Tags

animals, birth, cat, conflict resolution, family, friendship, kindness, loss, numbers, pets

Anna's corn

Santucci, Barbara

Anna visits Grandpa's cornfield. She can hear the corn making beautiful music as the wind blows. Grandpa gets Anna corn kernels to plant next autumn, and the two agree that Anna will grow corn on her own. That winter, Grandpa dies. Anna wants to hold onto the seeds to remember Grandpa. She decides to plant them instead so she can hear the corn make music again. By next fall, the corn grows, Anna hears the music, and she collects kernels to plant corn for next year.

Tags

conflict resolution, coping, death, decision making, family, farm, farmer, feelings, five senses, food, garden, grandparents, hearing, illness, loss, month, nutrition, rain, reading, rhythm, role model, sadness, seasons, signs, song, stress management, vegetables, weather, writing

Anna's heaven

Hole, Stian

Anna's mother dies. She and her father have many questions for God about where Anna's mom went and what heaven is like. Anna's dad follows Anna through her imagination and the two find peace through the many great things and ideas that Anna imagines of her mother's new world.

Tags

change, death, feelings, grief, hope, loss, nonverbal communication, parents, peace, problem solving, sadness, verbal communication

Annushka's voyage

Tarbescu, Edith

When Tanya and Annushka's mother dies, their father has no choice but to leave Russia for the streets paved with gold. Several years later, the girls' father sends two tickets for their own voyage to America. Before the girls leave, their grandmother gives them each a Sabbath candlestick which will light their way to the New World. Tanya and Annushka's voyage is filled with many sick and sleepless nights. The girls unite with their father by raising their candlesticks.

Tags

animals, author's note, birds, bodies of water, colors, cow, death, doctor, dolls, excitement, family, feelings, grandparents, happiness, horse, illness, immigrants, island, Jewish, letters, loneliness, loss, lost, multicultural, nonverbal communication, ocean, pigeon, prayer, russian, ship, smell, stress management, traditions, train, travel, verbal communication, writing

Apple tree christmas

Noble, Trinka Hakes

A horrible snowstorm takes down a family's apple tree. Katrina misses her favorite climbing tree where she used to draw. For Christmas, her father makes her a drawing table out of the branches of the apple tree.

Tags

christmas, conflict resolution, creativity, critical thinking, decision making, family, feelings, grief, happiness, holidays, loss, nature, parents, plants, snow, weather

Art dog

Hurd, Thacher

Arthur Dog disguises himself as Art Dog to recover the stolen Mona Woofa from the Dogopolis Museum of Art. When he is not Art Dog, he lives as an ordinary citizen who appreciates life.

Tags

animals, appreciation, art, bravery, crime, dog, guilt, loss, museum, mystery, robbery

Badger's parting gifts

Varley, Susan

When Badger dies, the rest of the animals are very sad. It is not until they remember all of the good times with Badger that they get over their sadness.

Tags

animals, change, conflict resolution, coping, critical thinking, death, decision making, feelings, goal setting, loss, memories, nonverbal communication, presents, sadness, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

Basket

Lyon, George Ella

Over the years, Grandma's basket becomes embedded in many family legends. The basket is passed through four generations. The spool of thread found inside the basket is symbolic of the generations threaded together by love.

Tags

death, family, grandparents, history, loss, love, nonverbal communication, song, traditions, verbal communication

Batter up!

Johnson, Neil

A young boy named Nick joins a baseball team and learns everything about the game. He has to deal with losing a big game. The loss helps him to refine his weaknesses.

Tags

baseball, cooperation, determination, feelings, friendship, goal setting, learning, loss, peer resistance, practice, sadness, self esteem, sports

Better with two

Joosse, Barbara M.

An old lady, and her dog have a regular routine everyday. And when Laura, the girl next door sees Mrs. Brady alone instead of with Max she wonders why. When Laura finds out Max died, she finds comfort in her mom and then consoles Mrs. Brady, because two is better than one.

Tags

animals, change, coping, death, dog, family, feelings, friendship, loss, neighbors, nonverbal communication, parents, pets, sadness

Billy and the big new school

Anholt, Laurence

Billy is very nervous about starting at his new school. He wants to stay home with his mother. Then he meets a small bird who is hurt and cannot fly. Billy takes care of it until it is ready to fly again. Find out how Billy gets himself ready to go to school and how he uses his bird story to make a friend.

Tags

animals, birds, blackbird, bravery, bully, change, clothing, conflict resolution, dreams, excitement, fear, feelings, food, friendship, loss, parents, pets, picnic, pigeon, preparation, school, self esteem, sparrow, starling, teaching, thrush, wish, worry

Billy's beetle

Inkpen, Mike

A boy has lost his beetle. He asks many people and animals in his search for the beetle. The search continues until it is found.

Tags

animals, beetle, caterpillar, critical thinking, dog, elephant, five senses, food, goal setting, hedgehog, insects, instruments, loss, music, pig, polar bear, smell, spider, verbal communication, worm

Bird

Elliot, Zetta

Mehkai struggles with the challenges of life: death of his grandfather and his older brother's drug addition. He soon learns how to cope and manage his stress through drawing. In fact, drawing is an outlet for Bird's emotions and imagination. Mehkai learns the benefits of perseverance, hard work, and family.

Tags

african american, aggression, airplane, art, birds, buildings, crime, day, death, decision making, drawing, dreams, drugs, emotions, family, feelings, grandparents, hard work, imagination, instruments, loss, museum, music, park, problem solving, relationship, robbery, school, siblings, storytelling, stress management, technology

Bizzy bones and the lost quilt

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs

Bizzy loses his favorite quilt. He cannot sleep and is very sad. Some other mice find it with a hole in it. They help Bizzy repair it and Bizzy makes new friends.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, conflict resolution, cooperation, decision making, friendship, goal setting, helping, loneliness, loss, mouse, quilt, sadness, sleep, teamwork

Blue

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro

A boy and his dog go through their lives together and experience different things associated with the color blue. Whether they are playing with blue butterflies or picking blue blueberries together, they love spending time with each other. One day, the boy’s dog passes away and, with time, he gets a new puppy to share his life with.

Tags

activities, animals, baby, balloon, beach, birds, bodies of water, books, butterfly, cardinal, colors, companion, death, dog, feelings, insects, loss, love, play, rain, reading, relationship, running, sadness, sea, sledding, sleep, snow, transportation, wagon, weather

Christmas with grandfather

Wolf, Winfried

After the death of his father, Thomas is not looking forward to Christmas. Christmas at his grandfather's house in the country changes that when Thomas receives a special gift.

Tags

animals, change, christmas, coping, death, deer, family, grandparents, holidays, horse, loss, presents, snow

Cricket boy

Ziner, Feenie

Hu Sing's father is asked to come to the emperor's palace to fight his champion cricket against the emperor's own champion. In trying to protect the cricket, Hu Sing accidentally kills it, and then kills himself, until he has a strange dream.

Tags

assertiveness, beliefs, chinese, competition, conflict resolution, cricket, death, decision making, dreams, family, grandparents, grief, insects, loss, multicultural, parents, respect, royalty, self esteem, verbal communication, vision

Daddy's roommate

Willhoite, M.

A young boy learns that a family divorce can be a tragic event. When his father moves in with another man, the boy learns that the two grown men are gay. Finally the boy learns to love each of them even though he feels uncomfortable at times.

Tags

assertiveness, change, conflict resolution, coping, critical thinking, decision making, divorce, goal setting, homosexuality, loss, love, peer resistance, self esteem, stress management, verbal communication

Dear daddy

Schindel, John

Jesse really wants to visit his father who lives far away. Jesse and his dad write letters back and forth to pass the time until Jesse can visit in the summer.

Tags

art, careers, change, coping, correspondence, family, feelings, happiness, loss, love, nonverbal communication, parents, sadness, telephone, transportation, travel, verbal communication, zoo

Desser the best ever cat

Smith, Margaret

A little girl learns all about the hardships of losing a pet. However, her love for Desser is not lost in his death. Instead, she chooses to keep her memories of Desser alive. Even after Ginger, the new kitten, joins the family the little girl still chooses to remember Desser as the best ever cat

Tags

aging, animals, cat, companion, death, decision making, family, feelings, growing up, happiness, loss, memories, parents, pets, sadness, siblings, stress management

Dinosaurs divorce

Brown, Laurene Krasny//Brown, Marc

Divorce can be a scary thing for children. Questions and concerns about divorce can be answered with help from the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs explain everything from why parents divorce to celebrating holidays with two families to satisfy the inquisitive young mind.

Do you remember?

Smith, Sydney

A boy and his mother trade memories while lying together on the bed. In the darkness of the night, they remember things of their past. The move from their house to an apartment with their belongings is part of their memory making. The boy asks his mother if the moments of remembering could also be a memory.

Tags

bicycle, birthday, body parts, bug, celebration, conversation, day, family, feelings, five senses, food, grandparents, grief, hearing, lightning, loss, memory, night, parents, pattern, picnic, rain, smell, snake, transportation, truck, weather

Dog heaven

Rylant, Cynthia

A simple and creative way to look at death is illustrated. By viewing pictures of dogs, you can learn what happens to someone who dies.

Tags

animals, clouds, death, dog, feelings, happiness, loss, memories

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.

Tags

beach, bodies of water, bones, critical thinking, death, determination, dinosaur, england, extinction, family, fossil, goal setting, history, loss, market, museum, ocean, parents, rhyme, sequence, siblings

Dragon kite of the autumn moon

Reddix, Valerie

Every year, Tad-Tin and his grandfather make a special kite to fly on Kite's Day. This year Grandfather is sick, so it is up to Tin to sacrifice his special Dragon kite in order to carry all their misfortune away.

Dream wolf

Goble, Paul

This Native American story describes some boys who are alone in the wild at night. They meet a wolf who has close kinship to a tribe until the white men drives the wolves away. The boys bring the wolves back.

Tags

animals, birds, bodies of water, conflict resolution, critical thinking, deer, feelings, happiness, loss, multicultural, native american, nonverbal communication, rabbit, reunion, river, wolf

Dusty

Malone, Nola Langner

Dusty, a cat, and a little girl form a friendship. Dusty grows up and soon must leave. The girl tries to cope with her loss.

Tags

animals, cat, change, coping, feelings, friendship, growing up, hunger, loss, nonverbal communication, pets, rain, sadness, sleep, stress management, weather

Elizabeti's doll

Stuve-Boden, Stephanie

After the arrival of her new baby brother, Elizabeti, from Tanzania, sees her mother care for him and she decides she wants a doll to care for herself. She does everything her mother does to her 'doll' and also faces the problem of losing her. Elizabeti also teaches the reader a little about her culture.

Tags

baby, caring, dolls, family, feelings, language, loss, love, multicultural, responsibilities, rocks, sadness, siblings

Erika's story

Vander Zee, Ruth

After being thrown from a train as a baby during the Holocaust, Erika finds safety, love, and peace in the family that saves her.

Tags

adoption, assertiveness, author's note, bravery, conflict resolution, courage, critical thinking, family, fear, feelings, germany, history, hope, identity, Jewish, loss, love, memories, multicultural, parents, prejudice, pride, rescue, sadness, self esteem, separation, storytelling, survival, train, transportation, verbal communication, war

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.

Tags

coping, death, family, learning, loss, memory, parents, sadness, stress management

Father's rubber shoes

Yeo, Yumi

Yungsu's family moves from Korea to America. When Yungsu goes into his new town and sees children playing, he missed his friends from Korea. Yungsu tells his mother that he wants to go back to Korea, but his father explains that their life will be better in America.

Finding a job for daddy

Maslac, Evelyn Hughes

Things are harder and different since Laura's dad lost his job. Laura wants to help so she pretends to put a want ad in the newspaper, then interviews him for a job. Laura knows that her dad still has to find a real job, but she wants her dad to be a dad forever.

Tags

careers, communication, conflict resolution, coping, critical thinking, decision making, family, helping, loss, parents, pretend, verbal communication, work

Fire diary

Rosenblatt, Lily

A young girl loses everything she has in a fire. In her diary, she works through her feelings of loss and pain. She also plans strategies to escape fires in the future.

Tags

change, fear, feelings, fire, goal setting, grief, loss, memories, prevention, sadness

Flags

Trottier, Maxine

A young child enjoys a neighbors garden when spending time at his grandparents house. Mr. Hinoshi's garden allows the children to learn until one day Mr. Hinoshi is taken away. The child cares for Mr Hinoshi's garden in his absence until new neighbors move in. The child plants her own garden in honor of Mr. Hiroshi. The flags are symbolically named for Japanese irises.

Tags

change, community, culture, family, flowers, friendship, garden, grandparents, japanese, loss, love, neighbors, plants

Flowers on the wall

Nerlove, Miriam

During 1938 in Poland, Rachel and her family are struggling to survive along with other Jews in the area. Her father loses his store, Rachel and her brother stop going to school, and they have nothing to eat. Rachel paints flowers on their apartment walls to pass the time.

Tags

art, change, critical thinking, decision making, discrimination, family, fear, feelings, flowers, food, german, history, hunger, Jewish, loss, multicultural, nonverbal communication, nutrition, painting, parents, polish, sadness, school, siblings, stress management, verbal communication, war

Fly high, fly low

Freeman, Don

Sid and Marge, a pigeon and a dove, choose to live and settle down in an old city sign. One day, when Sid is gone and Marge is left behind, the sign is demolished.

Tags

asian, birds, dove, family, loss, peer resistance, pigeon, shelter

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.

Tags

animals, bat, behavior, birds, chicken, death, differences, fable, family, feelings, fly, friendship, gossip, hearing, loss, love, newspaper, owl, peace, play, storytelling, truth

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.

Tags

change, coping, critical thinking, death, family, grandparents, loss, love, memories, multicultural, native american, traditions

Fred

Simmonds, Posy

The night that Sophie and Nick bury their beloved cat, they find all of his cat friends outside. They find out their cat was famous and the other cats wanted to have a party to say goodbye.

Tags

animals, assertiveness, cat, change, coping, death, friendship, loss, nonverbal communication, party, pets, self esteem

Good-bye, daddy!

Weninger, Briggitte

Tom gets very upset when he must say goodbye to his father, who no longer lives with him and his mother. He gets so upset that he hides and cries, and then misses out on a hug. But his mother tells him a story of a young bear in the same situation who learns how to resolve the problem.

Tags

aggression, anger, animals, bear, conflict resolution, divorce, family, feelings, loneliness, loss, parents, sadness, separation, storytelling

Good-bye, sammy

Murrow, Lisa Ketchum

A child takes his stuffed bunny on a trip. The bunny becomes lost, so the child makes friends with a new bunny.

Tags

animals, change, loss, lost, rabbit, travel

Goodbye, Mitch

Wallace-Brodeur, Ruth

Mitch has been Michael's pet for 15 years. He is an important part of the family, and Michael loves him very much. When Mitch becomes ill, Michael has a difficult time dealing with the fact that Mitch is dying.

Tags

animals, cat, coping, death, family, feelings, flowers, food, friendship, garden, growing up, happiness, health, illness, loss, nonverbal communication, parents, pets, sadness, teeth, verbal communication

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