BLOGS > AUGUST 4, 2021
BY JILLIAN HEISE
It is never easy as a teacher to navigate a classroom community through loss. Whether it be a student, student’s family member, staff, or a beloved pet, death is something that a teacher will have to address with students at some point in their career. And in our current circumstances of a global pandemic, it is even more heavily on the minds of educators and children.
So what can we do when these heartbreaking situations come up? How can we help support students through grief and loss with a sense of empathy and support for remembrance? We can turn to picture books to guide our way.
Every school year, I get questions or see posts asking about good picture books on loss to share with a class or gift to someone who is grieving. It can be hard -- as educators are not social workers or counselors -- to know what to do, and many teachers are afraid of messing it up and making it worse. Sometimes the best thing to do is talk about it. Sometimes the best thing to do is not talk about it. Sometimes the best thing to do is a combination of both. I do believe in the power of #ClassroomBookADay to be responsive to the needs of the kids in a particular classroom, and that means I can’t just keep pushing forward with books I have planned when tragedy befalls our classroom, school, or broader community. I need to be able to use the choices of read-alouds to support the emotional needs of students and staff. Sometimes that will mean bringing in a picture book that might help us laugh and feel normal again. And other times it means we will need to face it head-on.
When someone experiences a loss, we often see prayers for comfort and peace. I believe that through sharing any of these 20 picture books, those moments of peace and comfort in the memories can be found, as well as the support for knowing they are not alone in feeling sad or angry or helpless as well. Because when tragedy happens, I turn to books to say what I sometimes don’t know how to say myself. I hope these books will be useful to you. I hope you will find some comfort in them. And I hope they will help you to guide students, or yourself, through stages of grief in a supportive way.
Jillian Heise
Jillian Heise, NBCT and MLIS, is currently a K-5 Library Media Teacher in southeastern Wisconsin. She previously taught Grades 7 and 8 ELA in the Milwaukee area for 11 years. Jillian is the founder of #classroombookaday and dedicated to supporting all student identities and lived experiences through access to inclusive literature. She brings her literacy expertise and knowledge of kidlit to her role as Chair of the USRA Children's Literature Committee. You can find Jillian online at Heise Reads & Recommends and @heisereads.
Read all Jillian Heise #ClassroomBookADay articles here.
Watch webinar recording presented by Jillian Heise, Building Community: #ClassroomBookADay Read-Alouds.
You've Been Virtually Book'd! Choice Boards from Shannon McClintock Miller
December 4, 2024
We love the Choice Boards Teacher Librarian Shannon McClintock Miller creates! If you missed any, explore Shannon’s curated collections below and discover new favorites for your students on a variety of topics.Books for the Holidays Hour of Code Week (Dec. 9-15,...
Read more
What We're Reading – #BritReads Complete 2024 List
November 26, 2024
Each month, What We’re Reading features reflections on current reads from Follett Content team members. It’s a blog where our collective lifelong love of reading takes center stage! In this month’s special year-end installment, Follett Content CEO Britten Follett shares the...
Read more
Book Your Next Reading Adventure
November 18, 2024
Grades PreK-5Book Now Grades 6-8Book Now
Read more
Celebrating the Holidays With Follett Book eFairs
November 11, 2024
Seeking fun and innovative ways to enhance home and classroom libraries for the holidays? If you’re looking for gifts outside of toys, clothes, and experiences, look no further than the gift of literacy!Host an online Follett Book eFair in November and...
Read more
What We're Reading – November 2024
November 4, 2024
Each month, What We’re Reading features reflections on current reads from Follett Content team members. It’s a blog where our collective lifelong love of reading takes center stage! This month’s selections come from three team members who work tirelessly behind the...
Read more
Behind the Scenes: After Your Follett Book eFair Ends
October 31, 2024
So, you’ve set up and hosted your Follett Book eFair…how’d it go? What happens now that your online book fair is over?Here’s a handy checklist of tasks to perform once your event ends:Wait excitedly for your Follett Content boxes to arrive!...
Read more