[lily-stejskal Posts: 26 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Hi All,
Can you please give me some titles of picture books (fiction, NOT concept books) that deal with difficult issues like parental divorce, death, serious illness, abuse, etc? 
Thank you.

[Melissa K Posts: 655 Status: Offline]

Jessixa Bagley's Boats for Papa is a lovely recent book about a character grieving for his father. It's wonderful, told with a very light touch--I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

[sarah_create Posts: 361 Status: Offline Sarah Johnson WWW]

Remembering Grandpa by Uma Krishnaswami is a good picture book that handles difficult issues well.

[Schriscoe Posts: 1,803 Status: Offline www.sharonchriscoebooks.com WWW]

The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic is very heartfelt and wonderful. It deals with the loss of the child's mother.

[kwlarson Posts: 180 Status: Offline Books for curious kids WWW]

I like EMILY'S BLUE PERIOD by Cathleen Daly (divorce).

[lisa-katzenberger Posts: 69 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Still a Family by Brenda Reeves Sturgis (living in a homeless shelter).

[Vijaya Posts: 7,324 Status: Offline Encourage WWW]

Farfallina and Marcel by Holly Keller is a beautiful book about friendship and separation.

Maddi's fridge by Lois Brandt is a sensitively written book about discovering your friend doesn't have enough to eat.

[HDWestlund Posts: 1,005 Status: Offline writer and bookseller]

Fa(R)ther by by Grahame Baker-Smith deals with loss of a father/family heredity. It's a bit surreal, but i THINK it's talking about hereditary mental illness, but in a hopeful way. It sure sounds like the father was bipolar, at least.

[JulieM Posts: 940 Status: Offline WWW]

Last Stop on Market Street (poverty) - http://mattdelapena.com/books/last-stop-on-market-street/

[dinalapomy101 Posts: 1,880 Status: Offline Happy writing to all! WWW]

I can't think of any off the top of my head, but in the Children's Center at my library, we have a Parenting Section and picture books on these topics are shelved there. Maybe your local public library has a similar section?

[zoraida-rivera Posts: 161 Status: Offline Focus, Publish WWW]

Check out this site that has many books about the topics you mentioned.  http://www.littleparachutes.com/category.php

[Christine B. Posts: 368 Status: Offline WWW]

Eve Bunting's SMOKY NIGHT is about a child observing the aftermath of the 1994 LA riots.

[June Smalls Posts: 104 Status: Offline SHE LEADS: THE ELEPHANT MATRIARCH May, 2020 WWW]

Magination Press has many issue picture books.

[JulieM Posts: 940 Status: Offline WWW]

I see a lot of PBs coming out now deal with migration/suppression issues. Publishers Weekly is listing them in its weekly newsletters.

[Jamilah Posts: 29 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

MISSING MOMMY by Rebecca Cobb is very simple but heartfelt story about death of a parent. I also love FOUR FEET, TWO SANDALS, which deals with the refugee experience from the viewpoint of two girls.

[marla-lesage Posts: 375 Status: Offline Write. Illustrate. Revise.]

The Flat Rabbit by Bárður Oskarsson — Death of a character unknown to main character
Elliot by Julie Pearson - Foster care/adoption - addresses main character's biological parent's inability to care for him
The Heart & the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers - death of a loved one/moving on