Death as Seen in Books Suitable for Young Children

Abstract

This article summarizes and evaluates thirty-four children's books which deal with death in terms of their usefulness in helping three- to nine-year-old children understand and cope with the concept of death. Included in the analysis are books dealing with death in plants, of an animal, and of a person. In addition, another seventeen books are commented on briefly. All of the books chosen for analysis explain death in a positive way by 1) using direct and concrete words and avoiding euphemisms, 2) involving the main characters in the funeral and at the cemetery, 3) showing respect for and acceptance of feelings, 4) understanding the child's grieving process, and/or 5) ending on a hopeful note with the main characters getting on with life. Some of the books are not only psychologically sound but have creative merit as well. They will help young children begin to make a dialectic synthesis of the opposites they encounter in life–e.g., sadness/joy, love/hate–and to understand that life and death are really one.