Children's Books About Trauma and Separation
* This image utilizes the old name for the ‘Is There a Book for That?’ Blog/Book List.
Unfortunately, both trauma and separation aren't uncommon in the hospital setting. Sometimes, these things are caused by hospital experiences. Sometimes, these things are caused something that sent them to the hospital. Sometimes, these things are totally unrelated to their hospital stay. Regardless, these experiences and struggles impact how they cope with their illness or injury.
So today, I am sharing books that can help kids build an understanding. Many of them also address ways to cope and normalize the experience as well. So read below to find the ones that are the right fit to the kids in your life. I shared some additional books about trauma, loss, and separation this summer. If you are interested, scroll to the blog entry on July 9 to read about those as well.
I have included links to help you find the books. I do make a small commission from some of these links- but they are not chosen for that reason and there is no extra cost to you.
Once I Was Very Very Scared by Chandra Ghosh Ippen
This book is about a group of woodland animals who have all experienced something scary or bad. They all react in their own ways - some want to hide, some want to run, some want to be angry,etc. A porcupine then tells them that they are in a safe place and that he understands that it might take them a while to trust him and feel that. The animals learn new and different ways to cope. This book is for any kid struggling with stress after something hard. The book shows a variety of reactions helping them feel less alone and a variety of coping mechanisms that might give them opportunities to try different skills and see what works best for them. Good for young children through middle elementary. * Also, available in Spanish, French and German
https://amzn.to/4t1QoXi
Healing Days: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma by Susan Farber Straus
This book tells one story line, but the illustrations show different kids of different races and situations who all could be narrating the book. The child who is talking shares that something bad happened and ever since then, he/she has had so much trouble. It talks about fight, flight or freeze. It talks about how their body interprets things their friends do through that lens and then they react without thinking it through. It gives ideas such as breathing, yoga, avoiding triggers, and developing a safety plan and a feel good plan. The book also talks about help from a therapist. This book was written to be appropriate for a large variety of situations. I do think that this book could also be helpful for kids after medical trauma and potentially new ways to cope with procedures or hard aspects of medical care. I would recommend it for all school age kids.
https://amzn.to/49Yqhro
The Tunnel by Sarah Howden
This book is a story about a young boy who experiences something bad and doesn’t want to talk about it. He goes to his room and digs a tunnel to get away. Once he digs away, he looks back at his house and the people he loves. He decides to return. When returning through the tunnel, he notices more grounding features about the tunnel itself. Once back, he is ready to talk about it with his mom. While the details in this book don’t feature medical experiences, this book could be a way to recognize that sometimes processing takes time and that children might need time before they are ready to talk about hard things. This story is simple, but impactful. Good for preschool through middle elementary.
https://amzn.to/45SlvL9
Argo and Me by Chandra Ghosh Ippen
This is a book about a boy and a dog. The boy points out all of the things that the boy and the dog have in common. One of these things is that they have both in a lot of different places, and sometimes the people taking care of them had a lot going on and didn’t take good care of them. Throughout the book, the boy talks about struggles the dog has and how he has worked through them. It is easy to see that many of these things apply to the boy as well. This is a very well-written, well-thought out book about foster care and potentially adoption. I highly recommend for young children through upper elementary. Even kids, not directly affected by foster care, could learn empathy and understanding by reading this book. *Also, available in Spanish and French.
https://amzn.to/4qPmAfa
You Weren’t With Me by Chandra Ghosh Ippen
This book is about a young rabbit who is upset that a parent rabbit was away for so long. The book is left open ended so that it could apply to being separated for a lot of different reasons including, but not limited to a hospitalization of a parent or sibling. The book addresses the different feelings the young rabbit had while missing her grownup rabbit. The grown up rabbit handles these feelings by saying that they are sad that they weren’t with them through that time, but that they want to know all about it including the good, the bad, and the people who helped. The grown up rabbit then reassures the young rabbit that they are together now. Appropriate for toddlers through young elementary. *Also, available in Spanish and French.
https://amzn.to/3ZxvLob
Far Apart, but Close at Heart by Becky Birtha
This is a well-written book that talks the reader through feelings that many kids have when they have a loved one in jail. It tells the story of 5-6 different kids who each have a different experience. Kids who have a loved one in jail will probably find the stories and the feelings relatable. A good book for children who have a loved one in jail or a peer who could benefit from some perspective. Good for preschool through middle elementary.
https://amzn.to/4t46qji
The entire Hospital Book List PDF is available under a tab on the home page. These books are listed under Separation, Loss, and Trauma tab.
