Materials for Dealing with Loss, Grief, and Trauma

Introduction and Project Background

Books can be wonderful tools to use with children who have experienced trauma or loss. Reading (or being read to) and talking with adults can help them understand and cope with their feelings in a developmentally appropriate way. Reading also offers a great way to spend time with a child, reinforce a sense of normalcy and security, and connect with them, all of which are important to recovery from a traumatic experience.

The Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB), The Barre District of the Department for Children and Families, and UVM’s the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership (VTCWTP), have worked together to develop initiatives to create a path to healing and stability. The three agencies developed a book collection targeting grief, loss, and trauma for different age groups; 0-5, 6-12, and 12-18.

Other offerings include statewide training for librarians, kinship, foster, and adoptive parents regarding grief, loss, and trauma. The goal is for caregivers and librarians to gain a sense of increased skill as a trauma-informed caregiver/librarian in addition to caregivers and children/youth in care accessing their local libraries on the topics of grief, loss, and trauma.

In the episode Reading to Promote Healing, of the podcast Welcome to the Field (a podcast for child welfare workers) Sharon O’Neill (VT Child Welfare Training Partnership) talks to Jamie Blouin, Stephanie Reale (DCF), and Jonathan Clark (VTLIB) about using literature to help heal grief and loss with young people in foster care who often have a history of trauma. The discussion also highlights the collaborative work this group has done to make books on trauma and loss available to foster families and throughout Vermont libraries.

For or more information about this project, or contact VTLIB: Jonathan Clark (jonathan.l.clark@vermont.gov), VTCWTP: Sharon O’Neill (sharon.oneill@uvm.edu), and the Barre District Resource Coordinators: Jaime Blouin (Jaime.Blouin@vermont.gov)

Overview and Guide to Using the Free Resources Available from The Vermont Department of Libraries

Dealing with Loss, Grief, and Trauma Booklist – Compiled by The Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB), The Barre District of the Department for Children and Families, and UVM’s the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership (VTCWTP)

VTLIB has book sets for Dealing with Loss, Grief, and Trauma available for circulation through Clover. These book sets are organized by age range 0-5, 6-12, and 13-18- and intended for those targeted ages along with parents and caregivers. There are 5 sets available for each age range.

For libraries interested in making these books available, we recommend setting up a display with them so that patrons can see everything that is available.

Ages 0-5 Book-set (Each set contains one copy of each title)

Title	Author
Me and My Fear	Francesca Sanna
Still a Family: A Story about Homelessness	Brenda Reeves Sturgis
The Memory Box: A Book About Grief	Joanna Rowland
The Rabbit Listened	Cori Doerrfeld
Where do they go?	Julia Alvarez

Ages 6-12 Book-set (Each set contains one copy of each title)

Title	Author
Cry, Heart, But Never Break	Glenn Ringtved
Half a world Away	Cynthia Kadohata
Prairie Evers	Ellen Airgood
Sunny Side Up	Jennifer L Holm
Train I Ride	Paul Mosier

Ages 13-18 Book-set (Each set contains one copy of each title)

Title	Author
Hey Kiddo	Jarett Krosoczca
Orbiting Jupiter	Gary D. Schmidt
Prairie Evers	Ellen Airgood

The image below shows how the book sets appear in Clover:

catalog screenshot

Other Resources and Booklists

Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers (samhsa.gov)

ALSC booklists for Tough Topics - Includes resources for young people and for parents