BIBLIOTHERAPY BOOK LISTS for Children
- Bibliotherapy (The Logan Library - Utah)
- Suggested children's books in these categories: Child Abuse; Death and Dying;
Divorce, Remarriage, and Blended Families; Fears and Being Afraid;
Illness; Individuality; The New Baby; Peace; Safety;
Self-Esteem; Sharing; Special Needs (Handicaps/Disabilities)
- Parents' Primer (Allen County Public Library, IN)
- "A selection of materials about difficult topics." Some topics:
All Kinds of Families (Adoption, Foster Families, Multi-Racial, Same-Sex Parents);
Birth and Babies; Death; Dental, Medical and Hospital Visits;
Divorce; Fears and Feelings; Illnesses (specifically listed);
People with Disabilities; Self Esteem; Substance Abuse;
Violence and Abuse.
- Picture Books to Help With Trying Times for Preschoolers (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Author and title for each book, listed by issue: Bedtime (17 books); Making Friends (18 books);
New Babies (14 books); Nightmares (9); Size (4).
- Mental/Emotional Challenges (Zuckerman's Barn)
- Over 100 books, in alpha order by title, of children's fiction about dealing with
emotional or mental challenges, such as Downs syndrome, moving, fears,
war, nightmares, parents with emotional problems, speech defects,
being teased, mental retardation, shyness, learning disabilities, bullying,
dyslexia, etc. Author, title, summary for each.
See also Picture Books About Bullies
- Books About Bullying, Grades 3-8 (Lisa Hughes, Santa Clara County Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary, webcat link, and cover image for 20 books, mostly juvenile fiction and non-fiction, plus a few adult books,
on bullying. Also: Bullies & Bullying: Books For Preschoolers And Early School-Age Children,
with same details for 22 picture books and easy reader books. Updated Oct. 2006.
- Stop Bullying! A Booklist for Children and Young People (City of Birmingham, UK)
- Author, title, summary for 18 fiction titles (from picture books to teenage fiction)
and 10 non-fiction titles about bullying. Updated April 2005.
- Bullies (Hamilton Public Library, Ontario, CANADA)
- 1-page PDF. Author, title, and book cover image for about 20 kids' books -- fiction and non-fiction -- on bullying and bullies, with fiction
from The Berenstain Bears and the Bully to Katherine Peterson's The Field of the Dogs.
- Say No to Bullying (Elmhurst Public Library, IL)
- 4-pp. PDF. Author, title, page count, and summary for about 40 kids' fiction and 12 kids' non-fiction titles (picture books,
beginning readers, grades 2-4 and grades 5-8), plus about 20 books for parents/educators, and
a few videos and websites listed. Compiled Nov. 2004.
- Books on Bullying (Seattle Public Library, WA)
- Fiction (mostly) and non-fiction titles suggested for children and families,
18 books in all, from picture books up. Author, title, summary.
- Promoting Peace (Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA)
- (PDF) Author and title (no summaries) for about 75 picture books and junior/YA books about
peaceful relationships, bullying, war, etc.
- Books on Bullying (027.8 - Tasmania Dept. of Education Library and Info Centre)
- Authors and titles (no summaries) of about 20 juvenile/YA novels/series
that deal in some way with bullies and bullying. From
Colin Bowles's Surfing Mr Petrovic to
Robert Westall's The Machine Gunners. Compiled May 2000.
See also Picture Books About Death and Illness
- Death (ATN Booklists - Nancy Keane)
- Author, title, publication year, and summaries (for most) for about 95 fiction
and non-fiction books dealing with death and dying. Also: Death
and Dying Fiction for Grades 4-7, listing author, title,
summary (for most) for one picture book, one adult book, about 35 junior fiction
titles, and 5 non-fiction books. Fiction titles from The Accident by Carol
Carrick to You Hold Me and I'll Hold You by Jo Carson.
- Books About Death (Laurel Indalecio, El Paso Public Library, TX)
- Author, title, summary for about 30 books on death and dying, including non-fiction, junior fiction, and picture books.
- Death, Dying and Grieving: books for children and
parents (Patricia Williams - Santa Clara County Library, CA)
- Author, title, summary, and webcat link for about 90 fiction (organised by grade level: picture books, grades 2-5, grades 4-7, grades 6-8)
and about 20 non-fiction books about death, dying, and grieving, plus a couple for parents.
Compiled Nov. 2004, revised Sept. 2006.
- Bereavement (Strathclyde University, UK))
- Author, title, publication info, summary for over 20 books, from Leila by Sue Alexander to
James, The old dog by Charlotte Zolotow.
- Books on Death (Seattle Public Library, WA)
- Fiction (mostly) and non-fiction titles suggested for children and families,
18 books in all, from picture books up. Author, title, summary.
- Bereavement: A Booklist for Children and Young People (City of Birmingham, UK)
- Author, title, summary for 9 fiction titles (mostly picture books) and 16 non-fiction titles. Updated Aug. 2004.
- Parents' Booklists: Death and Dying (Homewood Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, one-line summary for 15 fiction and non-fiction books on death and dying.
- Books on the Death of a Grandparent (The Word Pool, UK)
- Author, title, summary of four books to help children deal with their feelings when a grandparent dies.
- Picture Books Concerning Death and Loss (Penticton Public Library, British Columbia)
- Provides author and title only for over 35 books on death and loss, from A name on the quilt: a story of remembrance
by Jeannine Atkins to Grandad Bill's song by Jane Yolen.
- Young Carers' Stories (Booklist for Children and Young People) (City of Birmingham, UK)
- Books about children and teens who care for others will illnesses or injuries.
Author, title, summary for about 15 fiction titles,
from N. Cole's Bring In The Spring to Paul Zindel's A Begonia For Miss Applebaum. Updated Dec. 2004.
- Dyslexia Booklist for Young People (City of Birmingham, UK)
- Author, title, summary for six fiction titles, six non-fiction titles; also, a list
of 12 biographies of famous people with dyslexia.
See also Picture Books About The New Baby
- Bibliography: Flipside Families: Portraying People Out of the Mainstream in Children's Books (Wendy E. Betts, Notes from the Windowsill)
- Cover images, author, title, publication info, suggested reading levels, detailed descriptions
for about 100 books, for three reading levels, about unusual families and people. Updated Nov. 2005.
- Books for Children and Young Adults on Divorce (Kids' Turn)
- Author, title, summary, and Amazon link for more than 50 books -- fiction and non-fiction --
about divorce arranged by age group (ages 4-6, ages 7-9,
ages 10-14, and teens).
- Divorce - Picture Books (Hamilton Public Library, Ontario, CANADA)
- 1-page PDF file. Author, title, publication info, summary for more than 15 kids' books on divorce,
from Barbara Abercrombie's Charlie Anderson to
Brigitte Weninger's Good-bye Daddy.
- Parents' Booklists: Divorce (Homewood Public Library, IL)
- Author, title, one-line summary for 8 fiction and non-fiction books on divorce.
- Divorce, Alcoholic Parents, Custody Battles, Parents Dating: It's not always the end of
the world (Jasper County Public Library, IN)
- Authors, titles, summaries for more than 20 children's fiction titles and
over 15 teen fiction titles on these topics, mostly on divorce.
- Books on Divorce (Seattle Public Library, WA)
- Fiction (mostly) and non-fiction titles suggested for children and families. About 20 books
in all, from picture books up. Author, title, summary.
- Bibliography: Finding Families: Adoption and "Orphan" Stories (Wendy E. Betts, Notes from the Windowsill)
- Detailed descriptions of about 50 books, for three reading levels, about adoption, feeling family-less, feeling like an orphan. Updated Nov. 2005.
- Books on Adoption (Seattle Public Library, WA)
- Fiction (mostly) and non-fiction titles suggested for children and families,
18 books in all, from picture books up. Author, title, summary.
- Adoption Books (Elmhurst Public Library, IL)
- 2-pp. PDF. Author and title only for about 20 picture books, and some non-fiction books for adults. Compiled Dec. 2004.
- New Baby in the Family (Timberland Regional Library, WA)
- Author, title, summary for kids' books on Explaining Pregnancy and Childbirth (9); Big Brothers,
Big Sisters (16); and When the Adjustment Isn't Easy (8). Compiled Jan. 2003.
- Sibling Rivalry (Madison Public Library, WI)
- Author, title, and summary for about 15 fiction books about sibling rivalry, organised by reading level: Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, for parents. Also two videos listed. Updated
Nov. 2005.
- A New Baby in the Family (Stonnington Library, Victoria, Australia)
- Author, title, webcat link for about 20 books about a new baby in the family, from
Catherine Anholt's Sophie and the new baby to Jeanne Willis's What did I look like when I was a baby?.
(Note: all contractions in the book titles appear as gibberish characters.)
- Books About Moving for Children Ages 2-13 (Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA)
- (PDF) Author and title (no summaries) for about 50 picture books about moving,
moving day, old friends and new, and the child left behind,
as well another 45 books for older children on the same topics, with grade
levels listed for each.
- Books on Moving (Seattle Public Library, WA)
- Fiction (mostly) and non-fiction titles suggested for children and families,
18 books in all, from picture books up. Author, title, summary.
- Books That Illustrate Positive Character Traits (Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO)
- Fiction about character in general (10 books), and then sections on
Caring (4 books), Courage (4 books), Generosity (6 books), and Optimism (7 books).
- Building Character (St. Charles Public Library, IL)
- Author and title for books on caring (9 books), cooperation (5 books), helpfulness (4 books),
honesty (9 books), responsibility (4 books), self-discipline (4 books), sharing (8 books). Compiled Sept. 2002.
- Courage booklist, for ages 9-12 (Project Liberty, Westchester Libraries, NY)
- "These recommendations include books that celebrate courage of all
kinds -- from acts of physical bravery and confronting bullies to standing
up for one's beliefs. There are stories that demonstrate resilience and
fortitude as well as books that deal with why terrible things happen and
books about grief and handling loss." Author, title, publisher, summary for about 115 books.
- Books on Self-Confidence (Seattle Public Library, WA)
- Fiction (mostly) and non-fiction titles suggested for children and families,
18 books in all, from picture books up. Author, title, summary.
See also Picture Books About Peace and War
- Coping with Violence: Books for Children (Sally Driscoll, Book Links, ALA)
- Compiled Sept. 1999. Over 30 books listed, with authors, titles, publication info, and summaries, by age/genre category:
Picture Books, Nonfiction Picture Books, Books for Middle Readers,
and Fiction and Nonfiction for Older Readers. Also some adult resources.
- Healing Children With The Help of Books: Bibliography in Response to Tragedy (Cynthia Leitich Smith - Children's Literature Resources)
- "This bibliography features children's and young adult books for use in light of the September
11, 2001 tragedies at the World Trade Center in New York City and at the Pentagon in Washington DC."
Provides title, author, publication info, suggested age range, summary of each book.
Organised by category: Death, Grieving, and Healing (5 books); Violence/Tolerance (9 books);
Tolerance Generally (8 books); Patriotism (6 books); Firefighters/Rescue Workers (5 books);
and Military and War (4 books).
- Promoting Peace (Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA)
- Author and title (no summaries) for about 50 picture books about peaceful relationships, bullying,
war, etc, and another 25 books for older children on the same topics.
