Book Lists

Picture Books for When a Pet Dies

by childrenslitlove

I first started to gather books for this booklist about five years ago, but fortunately, my girls didn’t need to be reading a stack of books about a beloved family pet dying then. So, while we’ve read — and truly loved — some of these books for years (hello, City Dog, Country Frog!), and while I could read these on my own, our family didn’t need to read them until this past year when we had to say goodbye to our beloved first family pet.

Today, I’m sharing the four books that our family turned to when our 12.5-year-old dog died, and that we still read from time to time with the girls as they continue to work through their grief. I’ve also got six other books that might be helpful to your families, too, giving you a big list to choose from, as well as one book that might help children support their friends when their friends lose a pet. Hopefully, when your family needs this list, a few of these will help your children, too.

Picture Books for When a Pet Dies

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The Four Books We Turned To Repeatedly

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, illustrated by John J. Muth — While most of us know and love Willems for his silly, happy books, this heart-touching book might be my favorite of his. While not exactly about the death of a pet (it’s actually the pet’s friend that dies), this beautifully illustrated, thoughtfully written book reminds all of us of the beauty of our relationships with animals, even though the animal life cycle can be short and hard for those of us who love them. Fun fact — we actually bought an extra copy of this book and cut out some of our favorite illustrations to hang in our older daughter’s nursery when she was born! Even though the book will tug at your heartstrings, many of the illustrations will also make you laugh! Ages 3-6, but terrific for all ages.

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant — Cynthia Rylant is one of those author/illustrators who can do no wrong in my book, and Dog Heaven has been a real blessing to our family for the last 10 months. Perfect for those families who believe in Heaven, Rylant describes Dog Heaven to be a place full of everything that dogs love most, such as plenty of room to run, lots of children, treats, fluffy cloud beds, and more. Rylant lets readers know that their beloved dogs are brought back down to Earth from time to time to check on their families, but also that dogs who had no home on Earth are definitely given an amazing home in Dog Heaven. Calming and full of hope, this is sure to reassure anyone who is mourning. Be sure to check out Cat Heaven if your family pets are cats. Ages 3 and up.

The Heaven of Animals by Nancy Tillman — “With all of my heart, I believe it is true // that there is a heaven for animals, too.” For those of you who believe in heaven, this may be the book to help your families grieve the death of a pet. Tillman opens with dogs and cats, but also includes visions of what heaven might look like for pet horses and then even cows, birds, giraffes, bears, and more. Reading this one and thinking about what heaven must be like for our beloved dog, as well as the hope of seeing her again one day, has gotten our youngest one through some of her hardest days of grief. Ages 4-8, but great older, too.

The Invisible Leash by Patrice Karst, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff — For fans of The Invisible String, The Invisible Leash reassures pet lovers of all ages that even though their pet may have died, it is connected with their hearts forever through the Invisible Leash. Zack’s beloved dog, Jojo, has just died. His parents try to help him, but as with many of us, they can’t seem to find the right words. His friend Emily, however, has lost a pet cat before, and she knows just what Zack needs — the comfort and hope of Jojo’s Invisible Leash! Ages 4 and up.

Other Picture Books Helpful for When a Pet Dies

Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper — Perfect for youngest listeners who have lost a pet, Cooper gently walks through the life cycle of a pet in a family. The sparse text and mostly black-and-white illustrations draw our attention to the emotions of the story, ranging from excitement over the arrival of a new pet to the “hard” feelings when the older cat went away and didn’t come back. I also like that this story is mostly told from the perspective of the cats, potentially allowing particularly sensitive young listeners to distance themselves from their own emotions over the loss of their own pet. Ages 3-6.

Henry and Bea by Jessixa Bagley — Henry and Bea are pretty different on the surface, but they are best friends, because they understand each other… They always seem to knoe each other’s thoughts and feelings, until one day, Bea can’t figure out what is making Henry quiet and sad. But she knows that he is sad, though, and she doesn’t give up trying to help, even when he pushes her away. When she finally finds out that Henry’s cat recently died, she is able to gently and quietly empathize with his feelings, helping him to know that even though things seem dark in that moment, he’s not alone. Ages 4-8, but another great conversation starter about grief and loss for older children, too.

Paws + Edward by Espen Dekko, illustrated by Mari Kanstad Johnsen — Okay, so this one might hit hard, so definitely preview it before reading it with your children. But, for the right child, this story of Edward and the death of his beloved dog might help a grieving child feel less alone. Throughout the book, we watch Paws get older and move a little more slowly, experiences many children have as their pets age, and then we feel the loss with Edward when one day, Paws goes to sleep “without dreams.” Dekko does leave us with a moment of hope in the end, though, when Edward dreams of Paws, full of energy and enthusiasm again. Ages 4-8.

The Rough Patch by Brian Lies — A Caldecott Honor book, this one is indeed beautifully illustrated and written. Evan and his dog are attached at the hip, until one day when the dog dies. Lies does an incredible job of demonstrating the process of grief, and how grieving the loss of something so important to us takes time… But sometimes, healing comes in an unexpected way, and at an unexpected time. Ages 4-8, but great older too.

The Memory Box: A Book About Grief by Joanna Rowland, illustrated by Thea Baker — While not explicitly about the death of a pet, this one is also not explicitly about the death of a person. And I love that it can be read for loss of anything we love. Rowland’s theme of creating a memory box is something any reader can do to help them process their grief (while we didn’t read this book as a family, our then 8-year-old did make her own memory box when our dog died). Rowland also includes backmatter on “Helping Children Process Grief” that may be helpful to caregivers. Ages 4 and up.

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Erik Blegvad — When the boy’s cat Barney dies, his mom encourages him to think of ten good things about Barney, so that he can share them with everyone at Barney’s funeral. Unfortunately, he can only think of nine good things… I love how the family comes together to support each other at their time of loss, and how each one grieves and processes Barney’s death in his or her own way. This one does question the existence of heaven, which may lead to many more conversations at a sensitive time for some families. Ages 6-9.

A Picture Book for When Your Friend’s Pet Has Died

Just What To Do by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Hala Tahboub — Most of us will have to help friends through grief and loss at some point, but man, that can be really, really hard to do. After all, we all grieve in our own individual ways, and we’ll all respond differently to our friends’ support. I love that Lukoff addresses not only the empathy that the main character has for so many people in her life who have lost someone or something, but also how hard it can be to figure out exactly what they need from us. Ages 3-7, but great older too.

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