
儿童哀悼读物
Grief Literature for Children
This collection features picture books written in Mandarin by Chinese authors, thoughtfully selected to support children who are grieving. These stories reflect Chinese cultural values and traditions, using warm language and gentle illustrations to help children understand loss and express their feelings. Rooted in familiar cultural contexts, these books offer comfort not only to children but also to the adults reading with them, creating a shared space for healing across generations.
本系列绘本由中国作者以中文创作,从文化背景出发,贴近孩子的成长环境与情感需求,精心挑选而成。这些图书以温暖的语言和柔和的图画,帮助孩子理解失去亲人的悲伤,表达自己的情绪。作品植根于熟悉的文化语境,不仅抚慰孩子的心灵,也能给予陪伴他们阅读的大人以情感的支持,成为跨代共读、共同疗愈的珍贵资源。
Curated by Luming Zhang, MLS (University of Washington), hosted by the Grievers Library.
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing grief, the Grievers Library offers a range of resources to support you.
本书单由华盛顿大学图书馆与信息学硕士Luming Zhang策划,收录于哀悼者图书馆。
如果您或您身边的家人、朋友正在经历哀伤,悼亡者图书馆提供丰富资源,陪伴您度过难关。
Title: 会魔法的爸爸:学会珍爱生命 (My Magical Dad: Learning to Treasure Life)
Author: 尚定丽 (Shang Dingli)
Description:
English: This story centers on a child whose magical father passes away. Through imagination, the child keeps his father’s memory alive. With warm illustrations and gentle text, the book encourages children to cherish life, process loss, and believe in enduring love.
中文简介: 一位小男孩失去了“会魔法的爸爸”,却透过幻想继续与父亲互动。本书透过温柔的画风与富有哲思的语句,引导孩子在失落中学习珍爱生命、接纳死亡。
Why I Recommend It:
English: This book blends wonder and comfort, making it a valuable grief support resource for children facing a parent’s death.
中文推荐理由: 用温暖幻想回应真实哀伤,是引导孩子面对丧亲的重要情绪教育绘本。

Title: 小禾的眼泪 (Xiaohe’s Tears)
Author: 李文英 (Li Wenying)
Description:
English: Xiaohe’s beloved dog Bobo passes away. Through her sadness and conversations with her parents, she learns that memories can comfort and heal. This book helps children understand that while pets may leave, the love and joy they brought remain.
中文简介: 小禾心爱的狗狗Bobo去世了。她经历哀伤、提问与回忆,在父母的陪伴下慢慢学会放下,也明白了爱如何以另一种方式继续陪伴她。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A gentle, compassionate story to help children process the death of a pet—often their first experience of deep loss.
中文推荐理由: 适合年幼孩子作为死亡启蒙,用以面对动物离世时的悲伤与回忆。

Title: 親愛的 (Dear One)
Author: 幸佳慧 (Xing Jiahui)
Description:
English: After her mother dies, a girl named Pea steps in to emotionally support her grieving father. A treasure box filled with her mother’s mementos and letters helps them begin to heal together. The book explores loss, resilience, and the shared journey of mourning.
中文简介: 小豆豆在妈妈去世后接过“照顾爸爸”的责任,通过妈妈留下的信物与信件,一点一滴重新修补父女之间的生活与爱。本书描绘失落与重建的旅程。
Why I Recommend It:
English: An excellent resource for families coping with a parent's death, showing how children and adults can support one another in grief.
中文推荐理由: 情感真实、叙事温柔,适合父母与子女共同理解与面对失亲的情绪。

Title: 樱桃树 (The Cherry Tree)
Author: 张牧笛 (Zhang Mudi)
Description:
English: In this poetic and visually stunning picture book, a child reflects on his grandfather’s final days. His transformation into a cherry tree serves as a metaphor for peaceful parting and the continuation of life and love.
中文简介: 孩子经历爷爷生命的最后阶段,并将其“变成”盛开的樱桃树。冬室到春室的转变象征死亡与重生的转换,是一本极富象征性与疗愈力的绘本。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A deeply moving metaphorical narrative that helps children understand death as transformation, not disappearance.
中文推荐理由: 图文并茂、寓意深远,适合用以启发孩子关于生命、死亡与记忆的哲思。

Title: 小虎妞和妈妈 (Little Hu Niu and Mom)
Author: 李异鸣 (Li Yiming)
Description:
English: In this poetic dialogue between a little girl and her mother, the child learns that death is not to be feared but is a journey to another world. The mother uses storytelling and warmth to ease her daughter’s fears, helping her process maternal loss with imagination and strength.
中文简介: 虎妞与妈妈的对话充满爱与哲思。妈妈用童话般的语言告诉她:死亡是去另一个世界的旅程。这本书让孩子透过幻想与母亲的引导,学习面对失去的勇气。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A thoughtful introduction to death for young readers, combining honesty, comfort, and child-centered metaphors.
中文推荐理由: 是一本情感细腻、文字优美的亲子共读绘本,适合帮助孩子释放心中的恐惧与哀伤。

Title: 阿嬷去了哪儿? (Where Did Grandma Go?)
Author: 李海咛 (Li Haining)
Description:
English: Commissioned by Nirvana Memorial Garden in Singapore, this book addresses the spiritual and emotional questions children may have after a grandparent’s death. The story gently guides children through grief using warmth, imagination, and culturally sensitive expressions of loss.
中文简介: 本书由新加坡富贵山庄委托创作,讲述一个孩子在外婆去世后产生的疑问与思念。以亲切语调、童趣画风引导孩子面对死亡,探索爱如何穿越生死。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A valuable resource that offers children space to ask hard questions and process grief with cultural relevance and emotional safety.
中文推荐理由: 融合文化信仰与童心表达,是一本适合华语家庭共同阅读的哀伤启蒙绘本。

Title: 媽媽是一朵雲 (Mom Is a Cloud)
Author: 海狗房東 (Haigou Fangdong)
Description:
English: After a mother dies, her child imagines that she has become a cloud in the sky. Through reflective dialogue and soft watercolor illustrations, this book presents the grieving process as a journey of imagination, memory, and connection.
中文简介: 妈妈离世后,小孩幻想她变成天上的云,随时陪伴着自己。本书以抒情对白与水彩画面呈现哀伤,是一本柔软却具深意的死亡绘本。
Why I Recommend It:
English: An emotionally expressive story that reassures children of ongoing love, helping them develop symbolic understanding of death.
中文推荐理由: 用想象构筑亲情不灭的意象,是哀伤转化与心理建构的优秀范例。

Title: 想念 (Missing You)
Author: 謝明芳 (Xie Mingfang)
Description:
English: Using minimal text and full-page illustrations, this book depicts the quiet feelings of a child coping with the absence of a loved one. It offers gentle metaphors—such as seasons, wind, and emptiness—to help children reflect on the presence of love even after death.
中文简介: 本书以极简文字与全幅插图展现儿童哀伤,透过自然意象表达思念、空缺与爱的持续。是一本适合低幼儿童或初次接触“离别”概念的读物。
Why I Recommend It:
English: Ideal for younger or preverbal children, this book supports quiet reflection and adult-child conversations about emotional absence.
中文推荐理由: 以沉静风格回应孩子的思念情绪,是适合亲子共读、引导哀伤表达的佳作。

Title: 我把爸爸养在鱼缸里 (I Keep My Dad in a Fish Tank)
Author: 彭懿 (Peng Yi)
Description:
English: After a tragic diving accident, a young boy imagines that his deceased father has become a water spirit living in their plumbing system. On his birthday, his father “returns” to fulfill a promise. Blending surreal fantasy with grief, the story shows how symbolic thinking can help children cope with emotional pain.
中文简介: 本书透过魔幻现实的方式呈现儿童哀伤。父亲潜水意外身亡后,小男孩幻想他住在鱼缸里并在生日当天现身,实现陪伴承诺,象征死亡并非终点,而是记忆与情感延续的方式。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A powerful and creative narrative that supports imaginative processing of loss, especially for children who may struggle with direct emotional expression.
中文推荐理由: 以寓言与幻想为媒介,呈现儿童如何透过创意建构哀悼与修复。

Title: 像母親一樣的河 (The River Like a Mother)
Author: 路寒袖 (Lu Hanxiu)
Description:
English: Based on the author’s childhood, this poetic story follows a boy coping with his mother’s death. As he spends time by the river, it becomes a symbolic maternal figure—flowing, nurturing, and eternal. Through lyrical text and delicate watercolor illustrations, the book gently guides readers to reflect on grief, longing, and the healing rhythms of nature.
中文简介: 本书取材自作者童年经验,描绘男孩在母亲去世后,与河流为伴、感受母爱延续的过程。河流象征生命之流与慈爱抚慰,文字充满诗意,图像柔和温婉。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A poignant story that helps children grieve a mother through metaphor, reflection, and emotional presence in nature.
中文推荐理由: 以自然隐喻母亲之爱,为儿童提供哀伤疗愈的视觉与语言抚慰。

Title:想念的滋味 (The Flavor of Missing)
Author: 郭玫君 (Guo Meijun)
Description:
English: Through sensory memory—taste, smell, and feeling—this book gently helps children navigate grief. A child remembers a lost loved one through comforting food, evoking the idea that love can be felt through everyday rituals and sensory connection.
中文简介: 小孩在日常中想起与亲人的记忆:食物的香气、熟悉的场景,引导他们理解失去的人仍 以爱的形式陪伴着自己。
Why I Recommend It:
English: This poetic and sensory-focused narrative is ideal for younger children coping with subtle or nonverbal grief.
中文推荐理由: 是引导孩子以身体感知与心灵连结重建爱与记忆的温柔之作。

Title: 某一天,聽說爺爺走了 (One Day, I Heard Grandpa Was Gone)
Author: 李笛 (Li Di)
Description:
English: This gentle picture book narrates a child’s emotional response to learning that their grandfather has passed away. It illustrates the subtle confusion, quiet reflection, and family support that follows, helping children understand grief in an emotionally safe and culturally sensitive way.
中文简介: 一 个孩子突然得知爷爷去世的消息,故事描绘了他内心的困惑、安静的思索与家庭的陪伴,是一本温柔且贴近孩子内心世界的哀伤绘本。
Why I Recommend It:
English: It provides young readers with emotional validation and helps initiate culturally respectful conversations around death.
中文推荐理由: 适合中文家庭进行哀伤启蒙教育,是结合文化感受与儿童视角的出色读物。

Title: 我想你爸爸 (I Miss You, Dad) = U sinlitan tjanusun ama
Author: 周淑琴 (Zhou Shuqin)
Description:
English: This poignant picture book tells the story of a child mourning her father’s death, framed within the cultural context of Taiwan’s Indigenous community. Blending heartfelt narrative and expressive illustrations, the book shows how traditions, memory, and love help the child process grief and continue living with resilience.
中文简介: 本书以原住民文化背景讲述女孩失去父亲后的情绪历程,展现了爱、记忆与族群传统如何帮助她走过哀伤,是文化与情感并重的绘本佳作。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A rare grief resource that reflects Taiwanese Indigenous mourning traditions, making it invaluable for families seeking culturally resonant children’s literature.
中文推荐理由: 呈现原住民族文化中对死亡与父爱延续的诠释,极具代表性与教育价值。

Title: 外婆,您幾時幾時回來? (Grandma, When Will You Come Back?)
Author: 羅乃萱 (Luo Naixuan)
Description:
English: In this moving picture book, a young child repeatedly asks when her beloved grandmother will return. Through heartfelt questions and gentle illustrations, the story captures a child’s longing and confusion after the death of a grandparent, helping young readers and families talk about grief with empathy and openness.
中文简介: 孩子不断问:“外婆,您几时几时回来?”这种重复的提问揭示了儿童对失落的难以理解与渴望。绘本以温柔笔触引导家庭用爱与理解陪伴孩子面对亲人离世的悲伤。
Why I Recommend It:
English: This book gives voice to a child’s confusion and longing, encouraging open conversation about death and emotional support in families.
中文推荐理由: 是一本以孩子语言与情感切入死亡话题的佳作,有助于家庭建立哀伤对话空间。

Title: 小驼背 (The Little Hunchback / Xiao Tuo Bei)
Author: 黃春明 (Huang Chunming)
Description:
English: This allegorical picture book tells the story of a hunchbacked child who is ignored and misunderstood by others. Through subtle illustrations and heartfelt narrative, the boy’s emotional growth offers a moving metaphor for social exclusion, emotional isolation, and healing. While not explicitly about death, it gently resonates with themes of invisible loss and recovery.
中文简介: 小驼背是一个经常被忽视的小孩,他的孤单与坚强在书中被细致描绘。故事象征了被遗忘、被排斥的悲伤感受,传达出在情感孤立中寻找价值与接纳的希望讯息。
Why I Recommend It:
English: This story can be interpreted as a metaphor for social grief—making it a valuable emotional resource for children navigating loss, rejection, or isolation.
中文推荐理由: 虽非直接探讨死亡,却精准呈现社会性哀伤与孩子面对“缺席”关系时的情感成长。

Title: 奶奶去旅行 (Grandma Went Traveling)
Author: 陈德慧 (Chen Dehui)
Description:
English: Grandma Went Traveling transforms the concept of death into a child-friendly metaphor: a grandmother’s passing is reimagined as her setting off on a journey. This metaphor helps children approach loss with wonder instead of fear, preserving love through imagination and symbolic ritual.
中文简介: 小主人公以“奶奶去旅行”的方式想象她的死亡,借由温暖的图画与叙述,帮助儿童用诗意方式面对死亡,保有希望与连结。
Why I Recommend It:
English: This story uses metaphor and imagination to help children explore death with emotional safety and creative resilience.
中文推荐理由: 以温和想象引导儿童接纳死亡,是富有创意与疗愈力量的绘本。

Title: 无处不在的外公 (Grandpa Is Everywhere)
Authors: 雨濑 (Yulai), 边玉芳 (Bian Yufang)
Description:
English: This story is tailored for children aged 8 to 12. It tells of a child learning to live with the absence of their grandfather, recognizing his ongoing presence through memories, belongings, and imagination. The book gently supports death education in family and school settings.
中文简介: 本书讲述一位儿童失去祖父后的情感历程,通过回忆、物件与想象,理解爱不会因死亡而消失。适合年长儿童与家庭、学校共同探讨死亡与纪念的重要资源。
Why I Recommend It:
English: An affirming narrative that shows how love endures in memory and how grief can be softened through shared stories.
中文推荐理由: 是儿童哀悼教育的有效资源,有助于家长与教师引导孩子面对祖辈的离世。

Title: 想念你! (I Miss You!)
Author: 梁恩嘉 (Enjia Liang)
Description:
English: I Miss You! is part of the Life’s Journey Series and presents two gentle stories: one follows a young squirrel confronting the fear of death with love; the other explores a child’s grieving experience through a blooming plant symbolizing her late father. These tales help children understand grief and express love that continues beyond loss.
中文简介: 本书由两个绘本故事组成:一是小松鼠踏上冒险之旅,学习面对死亡与爱的永恒;二是小女孩借由花开过程来接受父亲的离世。适合帮助儿童用象征与温柔的语言面对亲情的失落。
Why I Recommend It:
English: These dual narratives offer children metaphors and symbols to navigate death, supporting emotional resilience and healing.
中文推荐理由: 引导儿童透过想象与象征表达哀伤,是理解亲人离世的优秀资源。

Title: 阿祖, 再見 (A-zu, Goodbye)
Author: 林柏廷 (Lin Boting)
Description:
English: A-zu, Goodbye is a beautifully illustrated picture book that gently guides young readers through the emotions of losing a beloved great-grandmother. With tender illustrations and poetic narration, the story addresses the sadness of parting, the beauty of memory, and the rituals of saying goodbye. It provides comfort and emotional vocabulary for children experiencing familial loss, especially of elders like great-grandparents.
中文简介: 本书透过柔和的图画与诗意的文字,描述小孙儿与曾祖母阿祖离别的故事。故事描绘了离别的哀伤、回忆的美丽与道别的仪式,帮助孩子学习面对亲人离世的情绪与哀悼方式,特别适合正在经历年长亲人去世的家庭阅读。
Why I Recommend It:
English: This book offers an age-appropriate and tender tool for helping children express grief, process memory, and find comfort.
中文推荐理由: 以温暖方式引导儿童面对老年亲人的死亡,是亲子共读与情感对话的好资源。

Title: 外婆住在香水村 (Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village)
Author: 方素珍 (Fang Suzhen)
Description:
English: This beautifully illustrated picture book narrates the story of a young boy, Xiaole, who visits his ailing grandmother in the countryside. After her passing, Xiaole and his mother cope with their grief through shared memories and imaginative rituals, such as envisioning the grandmother performing daily activities in the sky. The narrative gently introduces children to the concepts of illness, death, and mourning, emphasizing the healing power of love and remembrance.
中文简介: 本书讲述小乐前往乡下探望生病的外婆,在她去世后,他和妈妈通过分享回忆与富有想象力的仪式来处理哀伤,例如想象外婆在天上继续过着日常生活。故事温柔地引导孩子认识疾病与死亡,强调爱与记忆的疗愈力量。
Why I Recommend It:
English: A gentle and imaginative story that comforts children by reinforcing that love and memory endure even after physical loss.
中文推荐理由: 以温馨画面与细腻情感呈现亲人离世,适合引导儿童理解死亡与哀悼的意义。
