ABSTRACT
My charge in preparing this chapter was to weave together some themes of death, dying, and bereavement as they relate to children and their families. The literary and visual arts and the world of popular culture express the concerns, fears, and fantasies of children—and of those of us who interact with them. The art works I have chosen to discuss here have been used in educational and therapeutic settings, with children and adults—teachers, counselors, and parents—some of whose responses are cited. My intention is to illustrate the dynamics of grief, and to show how the arts offer creative ways of addressing the pain and facilitating grief work, for youngsters and for ourselves.
