Dear Dad, Love Nelson
AUTHOR: Margarett McBride
ILLUSTRATOR: David Wilkerson
PUBLISHER: Free Spirit Publishing (2023)
ISBN: 9781631986819
AGES: 5– 9
Through heartfelt letters, Nelson shares life’s joys and struggles with his incarcerated father, showing how love and connection endure even through distance.
The Doubt Factory
AUTHOR: Paolo Bacigalupi
PUBLISHER: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2016)
ISBN: 9780316220767
AGES: 12 and up
This page-turning contemporary thriller explores the timely issue of how public information is distorted for monetary gain and how those who exploit it must be stopped.
The Heart That Found You
AUTHOR: Anna Schocket
ILLUSTRATOR: Carole Chevalier
PUBLISHER: The Collective Book Studio (Nov.)
ISBN: 9781685550851
AGES: 3– 8
Heart travels far and wide in search of love and belonging, until one caring heart helps to make a family complete.
Missing Daddy
AUTHOR: Mariame Kaba
ILLUSTRATOR: Bria Royal
PUBLISHER: Haymarket Books (2019)
ISBN: 9781642590364
AGES: 5– 9
A little girl who misses her father because he's away in prison shares how his absence affects different parts of her life. Her greatest excitement is the days when she gets to visit her beloved father.
See You Soon
AUTHOR: Mariame Kaba
ILLUSTRATOR: Bianca Diaz
PUBLISHER: Haymarket Books (2022)
ISBN: 9781642597639
AGES: 5– 9
From New York Times bestselling author Mariame Kaba, a poignant, beautifully illustrated story of a little girl’s worries when her Mama goes to jail, and the love that bridges the distance between them.
LOVE WARS: Clash of the Parents, A True Divorce Story
AUTHOR: Matthew A. Tower
ILLUSTRATOR: Tsuneo Sanda
PUBLISHER: Raja Media LLC (Oct.)
ISBN: 9798999503800
AGES: 8– 12
When young Matthew’s parents get divorced, he must use The Force to put an end to their fighting! Bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith called Love Wars “courageous, moving, and memorable!”
We Need to Talk About Divorce
AUTHOR: Kate Scharff
ILLUSTRATOR: Annika Le Large
PUBLISHER: Neon Squid, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (Mar.)
ISBN: 9781684494484
AGES: 8– 12
A kid-centric guide for the children of parents going through a separation or divorce, written by internationally renowned divorce therapist Kate Scharff, MSW.
Abuela's Letter
AUTHOR: Debbie Zapata
ILLUSTRATOR: Alejandra Ruiz
PUBLISHER: American Psychological Association/Magination Press (Oct.)
ISBN: 9781433843686
AGES: 3– 8
Abuela’s Letter is a beautiful story that addresses loss and grief within a Latin family where a young girl is challenged by the death of her grandmother and discovers letter-writing as a way to cope and connect with her loved one's passing.
And They Walk On
AUTHOR: Kevin Maillard
ILLUSTRATOR: Rafael López
PUBLISHER: Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (Oct.)
ISBN: 9781250821980
AGES: 3– 8
A boy says farewell to a loved one as he imagines her walking on into her next journey in this moving story about loss and hope from the author of Fry Bread.
Forever Ripley
AUTHOR: McCall Hoyle
ILLUSTRATOR: Johanna Tarkela
PUBLISHER: Shadow Mountain (Sep.)
ISBN: 9781639934164
AGES: 8– 12
A loyal aging German Shepherd dog, Ripley, helps her girl, Charlie, face loss and change through one final adventure, proving that love means lifting each other up—even when saying goodbye.
Keep Your Head Up: A Mother's Story of Chasing Joy in the Face of Grief
AUTHOR: Tasha Faruqui
PUBLISHER: Jossey-Bass (Sep.)
ISBN: 9781394358762
AGES: 12 and up
A mother's raw, honest memoir navigating her daughter's terminal illness. This powerful story illuminates how families find hope, provide comfort, and embrace life amid heartbreak with grace and love.
Place Hand Here
AUTHOR: Katie Yamasaki
ILLUSTRATOR: Katie Yamasaki
PUBLISHER: Norton Young Readers (2023)
ISBN: 9781324017035
AGES: 3– 8
There is a hand painted on a street corner where neighbors place their own hand and feel connected to those they miss—a family member who has passed away, a departed friend, an incarcerated parent.
2024 Listings
Able to Laugh
John and Jade Reynolds. SPCK, Oct. ISBN 9780281089819
Tik-Tok famous couple John and Jade Reynolds share the realities of life, romance, marriage, and parenting as an inter-abled couple. Ages 12 and up
All Mixed Up
Raj Tawney. Paw Prints Publishing, Oct. ISBN 9781223188553
New York Times essayist Raj Tawney delivers a gripping story of a multiethnic American boy who forges a complex friendship with a Pakistani immigrant in the wake of 9/11. Ages 8-12
Cry, Heart, But Never Break
Glenn Ringtved. Chaarlotte Pardi, illustrator. Enchanted Lion Books, 2016. ISBN 9781592701872
Aware their grandma is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her. But Death arrives, as he must, yet with enough time left to share a story that helps them say goodbye. Ages 5-9
Dedushka: Memories of My Grandpa and Ukraine
Katerina Spaeth. Paw Prints Publishing, July 2025. ISBN 9781223188973
Through gouache paintings, embroidery, and vivid prose, Spaeth weaves a profound ode to her 1990s childhood, Ukrainian home, and grandfather, reminding readers of what’s beautiful in life. Ages 7-9
The Donut Prince of New York
Allen Zadoff. Holiday House, Nov. 2025. ISBN 9780823456635
Eugene’s junior year is off to a rocky start—no love life, no new theater production. He would rather spend the year playing small, but that’s hard to do when you’re the biggest kid in your class. Ages 12 and up
It Won't Ever Be the Same
AUTHOR: Korie Leigh, Ph.D
PUBLISHER: Free Spirit Publishing (2024)
ISBN: 9798885543842
AGES: 12 and up
A compassionate guide that helps teens understand and process grief with reflections, activities, and voices of other grieving youth to remind them they’re not alone.
The Ghosts of Blanes Museum
Lau Moraiti. Paw Prints Publishing, July. ISBN 9781223188119
Clara, a lonely ghost living in a museum, forms a friendship with the security guard, Rodriguez, who is as lonely as she is. This is a story about the capacity for healing with a friend by your side. Ages 5-9
A Guide to Grief
Cole Imperi. Bianca Jagoe, illustrator. Kids Can Press, Oct. ISBN 9781525309656
For a new generation of grievers, this is the wise, compassionate friend tweens and young teens need when they experience grief and loss, from one of the foremost experts on death, dying, and grief. Ages 12 and up
A Kids Book About Periods
AUTHOR: Jessica Biel
PUBLISHER: DK (2024)
ISBN: 9780593847091
AGES: 5– 9
Getting your period is actually pretty cool—it’s one of the things we share as human beings! Inside, you’ll find positive information about how periods work, designed to empower the next generation.
My Real Name Is Hanna
AUTHOR: Tara Lynn Masih
PUBLISHER: Mandel Vilar Press (2018)
ISBN: 9781942134510
AGES: 12 and up
Coming-of-age novel set in the Holocaust: 14-year-old Hanna and her family escape the Nazis and take refuge in unexplored caves for 500 days. With Hanna's help, they all survive!
Onyx and Beyond
Amber McBride. Feiwel & Friends, Oct. ISBN 9781250908780
Award-winning author Amber McBride explores being young and Black in America in an affecting novel about a boy coping with his mother's early-onset dementia, set amid the civil rights movement. Ages 8-12
The Thing About Love
Linda Ashman. Kristina Jones, illustrator. APA / Magination Press, Aug. ISBN 9781433843594
From their first meeting, a kid and his dog become best friends. Their bond grows deeper as they play games, go on adventures, learn new tricks, comfort each other, and celebrate milestones together. Ages 3-8
What Does Grief Feel Like?
Dr. Korie Leigh. Mike Malbrough, illustrator. Free Spirit Publishing, 2023. ISBN 9781631987069
Helps young children explore the ways people experience grief when someone dies. Open-ended questions throughout the book invite children to share what they are thinking, feeling, and going through. Ages 3-8
Where Did Poppy Go?
Gail Silver. Amanda Quartey, illustrator. Parallax Press, 2022. ISBN 9781952692246
A young boy and his father navigate the loss of Poppy, discovering how love remains through the changing seasons of life even after someone passes. Ages 5-9
You-ology: A Puberty Guide for EVERY Body
AUTHOR: Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG; Trish Hutchison, MD, FAAP; Kathryn Lowe, MD, FAAP
ILLUSTRATOR: Lisa Perrett
PUBLISHER: American Academy of Pediatrics (2022)
ISBN: 9781610025690
AGES: 8– 12
You-ology uses an inclusive approach to normalize puberty for all kids. It offers fact-based, age-appropriate information and features colorful illustrations and a cast of diverse characters.
This article was first published on October 18, 2024, and updated on October 17, 2025 to include new listings.
