Books by C. Lindorfer

Gentle, research-based books for children and families facing serious illness, hospice, and grief. Many of our guides and workbooks are free to print at home. The books below are available on Amazon.

Storybooks for Young Children

Read-aloud picture books for ages 3 to 7, set in the same gentle riverbank world. Each uses honest, simple words, welcomes every feeling, and includes a note for grown-ups.

Cover of The Pebble in My Pocket

The Pebble in My Pocket

For: children ages 3 to 7 when a grandpa or other loved one dies after a long illness.

Ollie the otter loves floating with Grandpa on the slow, shiny river. When Grandpa gets very sick, Ollie has big questions and mixed-up feelings. Then Grandpa gives him a smooth gray pebble with one white stripe, and it helps Ollie carry Grandpa with him every day.

See it on Amazon →How to tell a young child

Cover of What We Plant With Love

What We Plant With Love

For: children ages 3 to 7 when a grandma or other loved one dies after an illness.

Hazel the hedgehog loves Grandma’s garden, where the tallest sunflowers on the riverbank grow. When Grandma gets very sick, she gives Hazel a little pouch of sunflower seeds and a promise: “Plant these in spring. What we plant with love keeps growing.”

See it on Amazon →Ideas for the months after

Printed Editions of Our Free Books

These paperbacks have the same content as the free PDFs on our Free Printables page. If you’d rather not print and bind at home, you can order a professionally printed copy on Amazon; the price covers printing and binding.

  • The Time We Have: helping children and teens when someone they love is in hospice (for parents and caregivers)
  • Our Time Together: a book for children 4 to 11 to make with someone they love who is very sick
  • The Time In Between: a journal for teens 12 to 18 when someone they love is in hospice

Comfort and support resources, not a substitute for professional care. In a crisis, call or text 988.