“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,” said the clever Winnie the Pooh. And how lucky are we to have such incredible children’s books where goodbyes, painful though they might be, are handled so sensitively. Growing up, it’s important to have books like these, full of characters we can identify with, laugh and cry alongside knowing we’re not alone in feeling the way we do. These are the books that take us on an unforgettable emotional journey while sitting in the comfort of an armchair. What’s more, they carry us through the darkness on a wave of hope, then, by the turning of the last page, deliver us safely at our destination in the morning light.
In my new novel, The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair, Becket and Billy are taking their own journey towards saying goodbye to their mother. Of course, learning to live without someone you love is not plain sailing but what journey ever is…
In no particular order, here are my top 10 goodbyes in children’s literature…
1. Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
At first this book appears to be about two brothers unwittingly caught up in a train robbery as Britain is about to join the Euro. But it is so much more. Damian takes an interest in saints as he strives to be “excellent” to cope with the death of his mother. What follows is touching, funny, charming and the goodbye is delivered so effortlessly in Damian’s voice that it’s hard not to imagine him chatting beside you. To be honest, if there was the space I could give you a million reasons why you should buy this book but I’ll leave you with just three: it’s all heart.
2. Goodbye Mog by Judith Kerr
Saying goodbye to Mog seems unthinkable. Not Mog. Not goodbye. But Mog is tired, dead tired. This beautifully illustrated picture book deals with losing a pet in an honest, loving way. When a new pet is introduced into the Thomas household, the little bit of Mog that has been left behind helps it settle. Once that has been achieved life moves forward for the Thomas family but the most important message of all is that they’ll never forget Mog. And neither shall we.
3. Charlotte’s Web by EB White
EB White’s classic story is about life and death, growing up, the passing of time and the turning of the seasons, but most of all, it is about an unlikely friendship. Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider are friends and when Wilbur discovers he’s being fattened up to be eaten it’s up to Charlotte to save his bacon. This book is filled with twists and turns and the ending that follows is so beautifully written that it would be hard to read without a rivulet springing from your eyes. What’s more it has changed my opinions on arachnids for ever.
4. Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
“My name is Sam. By the time you read this, I will probably be dead.” If ever there is an opening that appears to prepare you for a heartbreaking goodbye and delivers an immediate lump in the throat then this is it. Sam is 11 and needs answers. But when you have leukaemia there are questions nobody answers like: “Why does God make kids get ill?” At first glance it might seem sad and yes, it is, but Nicholls’ prize-winning debut also has humour, honesty and hope, reminding us that every minute of life counts.
5. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
Annabel Pitcher has written a touching account of 10-year-old Jamie’s struggle to come to terms with the loss that has tore his family apart. His sister, Rose, lives on the mantelpiece and so begins a story that is beautifully observed and courageous. In fact, I devoured this book in a single sitting but like all great books it has stayed in my mind ever since.
6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Hazel Grace meets Augustus Waters at a cancer support meeting. After which unfolds a love story and a goodbye that will take your heart, hug it, crush it, and then repair it again. Not long after reading the book I went to the cinema to see the movie. On leaving most of the teen audience could barely see the exit through their tears. To be honest, I could barely see the audience through my own eye water.
7. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
When good is fighting evil in a children’s book you don’t expect to say farewell to good, huh? Well, CS Lewis didn’t exactly follow that pattern in this book. Suffice to say that in one of my all time favourite adventure stories there is a goodbye that just about broke my tiny heart when I first read it, unprepared as I was. Without spoiling things, I will say that Lewis managed to mend my heart not long after. (And evil always gets its comeuppance.)
8. A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean
You don’t always have to say the actual word “goodbye” in a book. Sometimes a touching, heartfelt goodbye shines through even when the main character doesn’t speak at all. It is 31 days since Cally Louise Fisher, who is mourning the loss of her mother, spoke. After seeing a vision of her mum, a wolf hound enters Cally’s life and what follows is a warm, compassionate, emotional story that delivers a beautiful goodbye and the warm embrace of hope thereafter.
9. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The award-winning author Siobhan Dowd sadly died of cancer before she could write this book. Patrick Ness (author of the Chaos Walking Trilogy) was asked if he’d consider turning her work into a book. The result, A Monster Calls, is a stunning multi-layered story of love, saying goodbyes, letting go and then healing. It has the ability to break your heart with its painful truths. I’m just going to put it out there that I did much sobbing after reading this book and held my loved ones that bit tighter.
10. Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson
“Death doesn’t often get written into modern books for young people…” says Jacqueline Wilson but in Vicky Angel she tackles this very subject with skill. Jade has lost her best friend, Vicky. When she comes back as a ghost Jade is thrilled and puts her life on hold. But as time passes Jade realises she has to move forward, be her own person again. The ending is so perfect, so full circle that it left me taking a tiny in-breath.
Lara Williamson is the author of A Boy Called Hope. Her new novel, The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair, is a story of new beginnings and learning that goodbye isn’t always the end. You can buy it here at the Guardian bookshop.
