The WindHorse Bibliotherapy Program
Building Grief Ready Schools
Every school community experiences death and loss. WindHorse Books helps schools prepare for those moments by putting developmentally appropriate books about grief and loss into school libraries—and providing the adults who support children with the resources to help them navigate difficult conversations.
Hand Picked Consistency
Although the books contained within each individual program will vary, there are set guidelines every program will meet. Our ability to adhere to the following standards is largely influenced by the available books from the distributor and different publishers. We are committed to delivering a quality program for every school. Whether this means starting from scratch or working within the existing school collection.
Age-Appropriate
Children need developmentally appropriate ways to understand and express grief. Books give children language and stories for experiences they may otherwise struggle to articulate.
Elementary school has a wide range of developmentally different ages and therefore requires a range of books to meet the various needs. Every program will consist of books spread across the following ages:
3-6, 7-9, 10-12
Our goal is to have atleast 5 books + a bilingual option in each age group.
Bilingual
Every program will have at least 1 Spanish language book for each age category. If there is another language preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to accomodate.
Type of Loss
There are various types of losses a child might experience: a pet, a grandparent, a parent, a sibling, etc. Each program will attempt to cover as many different losses as possible.
Ethnic and Gender Identification
There is consideration placed on both the gender and ethnic background of the characters in each story. We aim to create a program that is a reflection of the world in which the child belongs.
How-to-Use
Every program will also include a brief How-to-Use for adults. Whether the adult is the primary caregiver, a teacher, a para, a librarian, an afterschool caregiver, or anyone else who might find their life includes a grieving child, the short informational booklet will help guide. What to say, What not to say, How to start conversation.
High Return on Minimal Investment
WindHorse Books ensures children will have access to books that reflect experiences of death, grief, and loss. This enables a school community to be prepared before death occurs. The educators and other adults in children's lives will have practical guidance for supporting grieving children. Because of community support, schools that cannot afford to build specialized grief/loss collections themselves can receive them.
A library collection remains available to students and families year after year.
If you're interested in purchasing a program for a speciffic school, please email sarah@windhorsebooks.org