Planning Your Legacy During Make-A-Will Month and Essential Kids Books to Help Navigate Grief and Loss

When you fall in love with books, you could spend a lifetime reading and still have a shelf of books waiting to be read. Books take us on journeys, give us time to reflect on the past, and plant seeds of hope for the future.

Today’s blog covers a topic about ⅔ of American readers might shy away from, but it is important no matter what your age or favorite genre: making a will.

Writing a will is essential for taking charge of your own story and putting your desires in place if and when the time comes. Having meaningful, and sometimes difficult, decisions made in advance can also bring peace of mind to you and your loved ones.

Often, your estate plans will include how you want your family to be cared for after your death, how you would like personal items to be kept or shared, and how you want to be remembered. 

Your will should reflect what you value and what matters to you. Putting together a will can be a wonderful time to reflect on your past and put your future into clearer perspective.

Some questions you might ask yourself:

1. What goals do you have for yourself and your family?

2. What values or life experiences are most important to you? 

3. How do you want to be cared for? 

4. Is there anything you want to protect yourself or your family against?

After reflecting on your goals and values, it may be time to speak with an estate planning attorney to discuss your priorities and put together legal documentation. Your attorney can explain next steps and talk about the best way to lay out your priorities and expectations.

If you plan to leave a gift to Madison Reading Project in your estate, please get in touch. We would love to include you in a conversation about where and how you would most like your gift to be allocated and acknowledged. 

You can reach out to Development Director Emily Wills at emily@madisonreadingproject.com or send a letter to Madison Reading Project, 1337 Greenway Cross, Suite 186, Madison, WI 53713.

 In addition to supporting you through this process and helping you align your values with giving, we also created a list of recommended reading to help navigate grief, loss, and transition for people of all ages. 

You can read about some of our favorites below, and find more recommendations on our Bookshop page.

The Boy and the Gorilla

Author: Jackie Azua Kramer | Illustrator: Cindy Derby | Publisher: Candlewick

This profoundly moving tale about a grieving boy and an imaginary gorilla makes real the power of talking about loss.

A wise and tenderhearted gorilla comes to a little boy on the day of his mother's funeral. The boy asks the gorilla the difficult questions he's worried to ask his dad. The gorilla helps him open up to eventually talk with his dad and find a path forward.

The Pink Pajamas

Author/Illustrator: Charlene Chua | Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

From Stonewall Award–winning illustrator Charlene Chua comes a tender, heartfelt story about love, loss, and the innumerable ways to carry someone in your heart, always, as a young girl honors her aunt’s memory by wearing the pink pajamas she sewed for her.

The Memory Tree

Author: Joanna Rowland | Illustrator: Thea Baker | Publisher: Beaming Books

From the author and illustrator of The Memory Box, the best-selling children's book about grief, comes a new picture book to help and comfort families celebrating their first holiday season after the loss of a loved one.

The Rough Patch

Author/Illustrator: Brian Lies | Publisher: Greenwillow Books

A breathtakingly beautiful and luminescent book that is pitch-perfect for anyone of any age who has experienced any type of loss or disappointment, from New York Times–bestselling picture book creator Brian Lies.

Cape

Author: Kevin Johnson | Illustrator: Kitt Thomas | Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

A young child learns that even superheroes hurt too in this heartrending story about loss and love, written by debut author Kevin Johnson and illustrated by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Kitt Thomas.

In Cape, Kevin Johnson has crafted an achingly beautiful and honest story about processing and redefining grief after the loss of a loved one.

Remembering

Author: Xelena Gonzalez | Illustrator: Adriana M. Garcia | Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

A family remembers their beloved pet dog through the traditions of Día de Muertos in this “gorgeous, deeply touching exploration of grief and remembrance” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) from Pura Belpré Honor–winning team Xelena González and Adriana M. Garcia.

Goodbye: A First Conversation About Grief

Author: Megan Madison & Jessica Ralli | Illustrator: Isabel Roxas | Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven picture book offers clear, concrete language and compelling imagery to introduce the concept of grief. This book aims to normalize the topic of death by discussing what it means and how it feels to experience loss. It centers around several questions that arise about grief and honest, simple ways to answer them.

The Treasure Box

Author: Dave Keane | Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell | Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

A poignant, gorgeously-illustrated story about a girl's bond with her grandfather and how it evolves after his death.

The Dreams We Made

Author/Illustrator: Lisa Bentley | Publisher: Simon and Schuster

In this moving, hope-filled picture book about loss, love, and family, a little girl grieving the death of her father discovers that she can take the loved ones she’s lost with her on all her future journeys.