Resources

The Long Way Down - Poems of Grief and Hope by Averil Stedeford

POETRY: This is a collection of poems written by Averil, a psychiatrist who worked in a hospice. Soon after she left the hospice, her husband was found to have inoperable cancer. The poems in the book represent a moving account of her experience with him and her journey through bereavement. It has helped many people as they go through the grieving process.

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When Something Terrible Happens by Marge Heegaard

FACTUAL: The 'Drawing Out Feelings' series of books has been designed to provide parents, educators and counsellors with an organised approach to helping children cope with grief, family loss and change.

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When Someone Very Special Dies by Marge Heegaard

REFLECTION: A practical format for allowing children to understand the concept of death and develop coping skills for life, this book is designed for young readers to illustrate.

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Funerals: How to Be Involved - If You Can’t Attend

Saying goodbye at a funeral is a significant part of our relationship with the person we have lost, whoever they are. We may dread it, of course, but we still want to be present and to get it ‘right’ as a fitting tribute to all that they were to us.

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When Children Grieve by John W. James and Russell Friedman

FACTUAL: In When Children Grieve, the authors offer a cutting-edge volume to free children from the false idea of “not feeling bad” and to empower them with positive, effective methods of dealing with loss.

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The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman

FACTUAL: Incomplete recovery from grief can have a lifelong negative effect on the capacity for happiness. Drawing from their own histories as well as from others’, the authors illustrate how it is possible to recovery from grief and regain energy and spontaneity.

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Love Untethered: How to Live When Your Child Dies by Vanessa May

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Vanessa May gives a moving account of what she went through after the unexpected death of her son, demonstrating that it's possible to survive such a shattering and traumatic loss, even when that might feel impossible.

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Supporting Children When Someone They Love Has Died Through Suicide

FACTUAL: Produced by the Balloons Charity this leaflet gives tips and advice on how to support children bereaved by suicide.

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Living in the Mourning Light by Andrea Corrie

REFLECTION: A combination of reflection and autobiography, the book contains a variety of reflections about our inner strength and innate ability to overcome the worse of situations specifically in this case, bereavement.

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Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child by Gary Roe

REFLECTION: Bestselling author, hospice chaplain, and grief specialist Gary Roe uses his three decades of experience interacting with grieving parents to give us this heartfelt, easy-to-read, and intensely practical book.

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Books Beyond Words - Mini Bereavement Set

FACTUAL: A collection of four books which cover bereavement and death suitable for people who find pictures easier than words, including learning disabilities and those whose first language is not English.

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Return to Him

REFLECTION: A book to guide muslims through bereavement. The 99 Names of Allah, are used to present a grief recovery process.

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See You Soon by Philippa Skinner

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY: An honest and reflective account of a mother's story as she faces up to and lives through her son's death from a heroin overdose in 2007. Skinner is writing for those who are bereaved, those seeking to support people who are, and also, more specifically, for people affected by addiction.

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The Virtue of Remaining Steadfast When Losing a Child by Al-Suyuti J.

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY: The Virtue of Remaining Steadfast When Losing a Child is a compendium of consolations found in the earliest texts of Islam, the great majority of them attributed to the Messenger of Allah himself.

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A Gift for the Bereaved Parent by Zamir Hussain

REFLECTION: This book has been written to address this need from the Islamic perspective using quotes from the Quran and Ahadith. The loss of a child is probably the most painful experience a parent can go through. It is at such times of deep sorrow and grief that people often turn to their faith.

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A Sky of Diamonds by Camille Gibbs

NOVEL/STORY: An illustrated storybook about a girl named Mia who has experienced the death of her mother. Covering all stages of grief, it is perfect for reading with bereaved children aged 5-9 as a way to help them overcome their difficult feelings. It includes in-built strategies for coping with grief and answers many questions that children have about death.

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Great Answers to Difficult Questions About Death: What Children Need to Know by Linda Goldman

FACTUAL: This book explores children's thoughts and feelings on the subject of death and provides parents and other caring adults with guidance on how to respond to difficult questions.

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