Ask Lorna: books for children who have been bereaved Similar in tone, and almost as eloquent, is The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic, illustrated by Olivier Tallec (Walker), about a young boy whose mother has died. So concerned is he to preserve her smell that he won't let his father open the window - and picks at a graze on his knee in an effort to summon her voice. Missing Mummy (Macmillan) by Rebecca Cobb is simple and direct - and does a similar job for a slightly younger child. If you think these books may be too stark or too sophisticated for your friend's child, there are lots of picture books that transpose the subject to a safer animal world. Always and Forever by Alan Durant, illustrated by Debi Gliori (Corgi), is a lovely story about how a mole, an otter and a hare cope with the death of their friend Fox. They realise, in the end, that he lives on, in their hearts. And Emma Chichester Clark's Up in Heaven (Andersen) stars an elderly dog, Daisy, who comforts her sad mate by sending him dreams of herself in heaven. I could carry on with picture book recommendations, but I thought it might be useful to broaden the age range. For children of eight to 12, there are five books that stand out. Roddy Doyle's A Greyhound of a Girl (Marion Lloyd) is an unusual ghost story about four generations of Irish women. Mary, who is 12 and preoccupied with her grandmother's impending death, has a series of doorstep encounters with an odd young woman. In a tale that is comforting rather than spooky, it turns out that this is Mary's great-grandmother, with a message to pass on to her daughter before she dies. How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant by Elen Caldecott (Bloomsbury) and Rockoholic by CJ Skuse (Chicken House, for slightly older readers) both address a girl's relationship with a deceased grandfather. As your question suggests, this is quite a theme in children's books, for obvious reasons. In Caldecott's touching story, Kirsty fights to preserve the allotment she and her grandfather had tended together. And for Skuse, it's about remembering the dead in an honest way; this grandfather, a Glastonbury-going rebel, lives by the motto "Don't dream it, be it." For a stark, funny treatment of terminal illness - and what death means exactly - Sally Nicholls's Ways to Live Forever (Marion Lloyd), narrated by an 11-year-old boy with leukaemia, is stunning. That leaves me with just enough room to mention Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls (Walker). From the fragments Siobhan Dowd left behind when she died in 2007, Ness has crafted a moving story about a boy whose mother has terminal cancer, and who is visited by a monster each night at midnight. The monster, brought to life on the page by Jim Kay's startling illustrations, helps Conor eventually to see his real fear: that of letting his mother go. Please email your questions about children's books to asklorna@telegraph.co.uk or send them to 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT. You can comment on this story or recommend your favourite books at telegraph.co.uk/books and follow @lornabradbury on Twitter These books are available from Telegraph Books Previous Ask Lorna columns: Building a library: top 50 books for children Books for a boy who love Harry Potter Books with vampires for fans of Twilight Books for children with dyslexia Books about Charles Dickens for an 11-year-old Poetry to inspire a nine-year-old girl Books for an advanced five-year-old girl Books for 10-12-year-old boys Books for fussy eaters