5 Picture Books on Death and Dying

My mother is Buddhist and I grew up going to mostly weddings, funerals, and remembrance ceremonies at Buddhist temples in the Los Angeles area. Years later, when I attended UCLA for business school, I ended up in West Los Angeles’ Little Japantown a half block down the street from the Buddhist temple that my grandparents went to.

Most of the Buddhist services that I attended were in Japanese which I did not speak so it was a blur of strange sounds and an occasional joke while I squirmed in my seat, bored. I’d nudge my mom for a translation but it was often too complicated to be whispered to me right then and there. So you might say that I got very little by way of Buddhist philosophy despite my mother having taught at her Buddhist temple before she had us.

My parents let me attend any place of worship I was inclined towards. I went to Mormon church class with my best friend in 2nd grade and Catholic masses with my friend Natalie in college. I went to a Baptist church camp and took communion with my best friend from Junior High.

But the local Presbyterian church was my favorite. I went to Sunday School there because of the neighbor kids but stayed because of the Old Testament comic books that were handed out after class. Those stories always ended on a cliffhanger!

Yet, as I get older, Buddhism resonates the most for me. The idea of karma just seems logical. The circle of life makes a lot of sense too. For my pick of The Picture Book of the Week, I chose one with a circle of life theme by Caldecott author Mordecai Gerstein. I hope you enjoy it.

What picture books that explore religious or philosophical questions do you read with your kids? Please share!

5 Picture Books on Death and Dying

The Mountains of Tibet by Mordecai Gerstein, with a commentary by Sogyal Rinpoche

Gerstein says of The Mountains of Tibet, “I’ve come to believe that during the course of our lives, we can live many lives. … At one particularly momentous new beginning, I looked back at all the choices I’d made that had brought me to that point. That was when this book began.” [picture book, ages 7 and up]

The Three Questions by Jon Muth (based on a story by Leo Tolstoy)

Nikolai is a boy who believes that if he can find the answers to his three questions, he will always know how to be a good person. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Seven Fathers by Ashley Ramsden, illustrated by Ed Young

A traveler is seeking shelter from a snowstorm and it would seem that he might die if he doesn’t find it. He happens upon a house in the distance and must ask seven generations of fathers for permission to take shelter in their home. Each father is more ancient than the last; the final father is just a speck of dust. This lovely picture book COULD be the story of the afterlife. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles, illustrated by Peter Parnall

Annie is a young Navajo girl who has difficulty accepting that her grandmother, the Old One, will die. Her grandmother gently teaches Annie about the circle of life before passing on. picture book, ages 3 and up]

The Gift by Carol Ann Duffy, illustrated by Rob Ryan

Do you reap what you sow? In this gorgeous paper-cut illustrated picture book, The Gift is the story of a young girl who plants a small garden in the woods. It explores the idea of the circle of life and the importance of family and friends. [picture book, ages 6 and up]

p.s. I have two other book lists on this same topic:

Best World Religion Books for Kids

Zen Picture Books to Make You Think

To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.

My books:

 Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

• Junior Library Guild Gold selection
• Massachusetts Book Award Long List
• Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
• Starred review from School Library Journal
• Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
• 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
• Green Earth Book Award Long List
• Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids

 Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me