Pet Loss Books Recommended by the Veterinary Information Network
Children:
- Bryan Mallonie & Robert Ingpen: Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children, 1983, New York: Bantam Books; describes death as part of the life cycle
- Debbie Morehead: A Special Place for Charlee: A Child’s Companion through Pet Loss, 1996, Broomfield CO: Partners in Publishing, LLC; story of dog’s aging and death, includes a kind veterinarian
- Fred Rogers: When a Pet Dies, reissue 1998, 1988, New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons; color photos, including veterinarian’s office, multi-cultural story
- Susan Varley: Badger’s Parting Gifts,1984, New York: William Morrow &Company; after his death, Badger’s (Wind in the Willows) sad friends begin to feel better as they remember things he taught them
- Judith Viorst: The Tenth Good Thing about Barney,1971, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company; young boy loses his cat, includes ceremony and burial
- E. B. White & Garth Williams: Charlotte’s Web,1999, 1952, New York: HarperCollins Juvenile Books (also on audiotape & videotape); farm girl saves life of piglet, spider befriends & saves his life again, pig mourns spider’s death from old age
- Hans Wilhelm: I’ll Always Love You, 1989, New York: Crown Publishing; one day a boy’s dachshund doesn’t wake up
- Four books with slightly religious flavor:
- Nechama Liss-Levinson, PhD & Rev. Molly Phinney Baskette: Remembering My Pet: A Kid’s Own Spiritual Workbook for When a Pet Dies, 2007, Woodstock VT: SkyLight Paths Publishing; interactive workbook with spaces for pictures, thoughts, as well as narrative about feelings, beliefs; good for children of anyfaith or none at all
- Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth & Lynd Ward: The Cat who Went to Heaven, 1983,1931, New York: Simon & Schuster; story of friendship between poor artist (commissioned to paint a picture of animals bidding farewell to Buddha) and his beloved cat, who wants to be included even though according to legend, cats weren’t there
- Christine Davis: For Every Dog an Angel,1997, Portland OR: Lighthearted Press; every dog has a guardian angel (even after death) keeping watch until “forever person” joins pet
- Cynthia Rylant: Cat Heaven,1997, New York: Scholastic Press; what heaven is like for cats, i.e. they all sleep on God’s bed
- Video: The Land Before Time (1988), director Don Bluth; young dinosaur is orphaned on a journey to a better land, speculates on what death means, has adventures with other dinosaurs, is reunited with grandparents
- TV “Harold and the Purple Crayon: I remember Goldie” HBO Family, original airdate 2/2/02 young child wonders what happened to his goldfish, whether it was his fault, and how he can get over feeling of loss
Adults (All of the above, plus)
- Moira K. Anderson: Coping with Sorrow on the Loss of Your Pet, 1987, Los Angeles: Peregrine Press; one of the first
- Melba Colgrove, Harold Bloomfield, Peter McWilliams: How to Survive the Loss of a Love, 1976, New York: Bantam Books; loss in general, good for people who are too sad to read a lot at once
- Laura & Martyn Lee: Absent Friend: Coping with the Loss of a Treasured Pet, 1992,Bucks, England: Henston; helpful for planning
- Samantha Mooney: A Snowflake in My Hand,1983, New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.; cats with cancer
- Herbert Nieburg: Pet Loss: A Thoughtful Guide for Adults and Children, 1983, New York: Harper & Row; the first book on the subject, check libraries
- Linda M. Peterson: Surviving the Heartbreak of Choosing Death for Your Pet, 1997, West Chester PA: Green Tree Publishing; guide to questions and what to expect
- Jamie Quackenbush: When Your Pet Dies: How to Cope with Your Feelings, 1985; hard to find, but worth it
- Wallace Sife: The Loss of a Pet, Revised Edition, 1998, New York: Howell Book House; photos, views of various religions, guide to cemeteries
- Enid Traisman: My Personal Pet Remembrance Journal, 1996, Portland OR: Order through Direct Book Services, 800/776-2665; guided journal for coping with death and remembering life
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