Families who loved Saying Goodbye to Grandma by Jane Resh Thomas often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
A parent would reach for this book when their child is facing their first experience with a funeral or the loss of a grandparent and is expressing nervous curiosity about what happens next. It is specifically designed to address the clinical and social aspects of mourning rituals through the eyes of a child who is worried about the physical reality of a casket and the social expectations of a memorial service. The story follows seven-year-old Suzie as she travels with her parents to her grandmother's house for the funeral. It gently depicts the mixing of heavy grief with the strange normalcy of playing with cousins and eating together. It normalizes the idea that children might feel scared, sad, and even playful all at once during a time of loss. This is an ideal choice for parents who want a realistic, secular, and comforting roadmap of the funeral process for children aged 5 to 9.