Welcome to the Top 15 Stories About Dying for kids to read online! This unique collection of bedtime stories is perfect for children of all ages who are looking to explore the theme of dying. Available in a pdf format, these free, downloadable, and printable stories come with beautiful pictures that can surely captivate both girls and boys. Our online library provides easy access to some of the best and most famous stories, complete with audio versions to make story time or read aloud sessions even more enjoyable.

These stories are carefully selected to provide learning and educational opportunities for children in their early years, from preschool to kindergarten and elementary levels. Our EYFS and toddler-friendly stories aim to teach important life lessons and morals, making them perfect for night time reading or simply when you want to dive into a magical world with your child. The stories are written in simple English to help make them easy and fun to read, catering to both beginner and advanced readers alike.

The importance of Stories About Dying lies in their ability to introduce the concept of mortality to children gently and sensitively. Such stories are essential for kids, as they impart powerful lessons about the beauty of life, love, and acceptance. By exploring the topic in a fun and engaging manner, these stories can generate meaningful conversations with children on a subject that is often difficult to comprehend. So let’s begin this exciting journey into the world of classic and good fairy tales that your little one will cherish and remember, making bedtime their favorite time of the day.

Top 15 Stories About Dying for kids to read online:

1. The Little Match Girl: In this story, a poor little girl wanders through the cold with no shoes in search of warmth and food. She uses matches to keep herself warm and sees wonderful things such as a roasted goose, a beautiful Christmas tree, and even her deceased grandmother. Eventually, she burns all her matches and ascends to heaven with her grandmother. The next morning, she is found frozen to death with a smile on her face, and nobody knows about the magical things she saw. There is an ebook available for download.
2. The Loveliest Rose in the World: This is a story about a powerful queen who loved roses and had the most beautiful garden in the world. However, the castle was filled with sadness as the queen was ill and close to death. A wise doctor said that the only way she could be saved was by bringing her the loveliest rose in the world from the garden of love. People from near and far brought their roses, but none were deemed the loveliest, until the young son of the queen read a story about someone who was nailed to the cross for love, and the queen’s cheeks became colored like the loveliest rose, giving her hope and happiness.
3. The Nightingale: The story is about an emperor in China who discovers a nightingale with an enchanting voice in his garden, but becomes more interested in a golden bird that can sing continuously. The fake bird eventually breaks down and the emperor falls ill with grief, but is saved by the singing of the nightingale. The Emperor promises to listen to the nightingale every day and use its information to become a better ruler.
4. The Happy Prince: A little swallow sees the statue of the Happy Prince, its shiny blue eyes of sapphire and a red ruby on its sword, and settles to rest. The bird sees tears from the prince’s eyes and asks why he is crying. The prince says he sees misery in the city and wants help. The swallow helps the sick boy and a young writer, takes the prince’s eyes to a poor girl, takes all the gold leaf of the prince’s body to give to the poor, and stays with the prince until it dies. The angel takes the swallow and the lead heart to heaven, where they live happily ever after.
5. Under the Willow Tree: The story is about two children who play together and hear a story from a candy man about two gingerbread figures who silently loved each other and never spoke up about it. As they grow up, they are separated, but Knud becomes a shoemaker and goes to Copenhagen to see Joanna. He tries to confess his love but she only sees him as a brother. Joanna becomes a famous singer, and Knud hears her sing in Milan. He heads north, falls asleep under a willow tree, and dreams of the gingerbread couple who tell him they are engaged. He wakes up the next morning frozen to death.
6. Protective Wings: In a story set in freezing cold weather, some sparrows approach a group of pigeons seeking shelter. Despite the other pigeons’ objections that the sparrows would only make them colder, more than half of the pigeons allow the tiny birds to nestle under their wings. That night, a man finds the pigeons and rescues them from the cold, and to his surprise, every revived pigeon has a sparrow nestled close to their heart. The story shows the compassion and kindness that can exist even among different species in times of hardship.
7. King Lear: King Lear was an old and tired king who wished to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. He asked them to express their love for him, and while the first two daughters exaggerated their love, his favorite, Cordelia, expressed her love with a sense of duty. Angry and hurt by her response, Lear banished Cordelia and divided his kingdom between his two other daughters. However, as time passed, Lear realized his mistake, and Cordelia came to his rescue with an army. The play ends tragically with the death of Cordelia and Lear.
8. Horaizan: The story is about two wise men, Jofuku and Wasobiobe, who travel to Horaizan, the Island of Eternal Youth. While Jofuku seeks the herb of Immortality for a tyrannical emperor, Wasobiobe accidentally falls asleep in his boat and wakes up on the island. Though they experience a life of eternal youth and pleasure, both men eventually seek to return home because of a word written on their hearts – “changeability” for Jofuku and “humanity” for Wasobiobe. The Crane takes Wasobiobe home, but he dies shortly after returning and realizing the pains of age and mortality.
9. The Black Bowl: This is the story of a poor girl who wore a large black bowl on her head, which covered her face, and worked hard to earn a living. She was eventually hired by a rich farmer and became content and grateful for her job. Later on, the son of the farmer fell in love with her and wanted to marry her, but when her friends tried to remove the bowl, it wouldn’t budge and a rain of jewels fell out of it. The young man married her anyway, saying that her eyes were more precious than any jewels.
10. The Flute: The story is about a man in Yedo who had a wife and daughter but after his wife passed away, he got remarried. The new stepmother hated his daughter and waited for the opportunity to harm her. The man eventually had to go to Kyoto on business, leaving his daughter behind. Before leaving, his daughter gave him a bamboo whistle, which he only discovered when he got to Kyoto. When he blew into it, he heard his daughter’s voice telling him to come back home because she had been killed by her stepmother and buried in the Bamboo Grove. The man returned home, sought revenge on his stepmother, and went on a pilgrimage carrying the small flute with him.
11. The Green Willow: The story is about a samurai named Tomodata who is given a mission by his lord to deliver a message. He rides through a storm and gets lost but finds shelter in a cottage with an old woman and her daughter, the Green Willow. Tomodata falls in love with her, but he must continue his mission and leaves. Later, he finds and lives with Green Willow, but she dies when they go out to see the green willow tree she loved, which was cut down. Tomodata becomes a holy man and finds the ruined cottage and recites a poem in memory of Green Willow.
12. The Rose Elf: The story is about a Rose Elf living in a garden who tries to find shelter when a rose bush closes its petals at night. He witnesses a tragedy in a nearby garden house and helps the victim’s girlfriend to discover the truth. The Angry brother kills the young man, and the dead man’s body is hidden beneath a linden tree, but his head is kept by the girl in a jasmine pot. The Rose Elf and Flower Souls spread the news among the flowers and Bees, who take revenge by killing the Angry brother with poisonous jasmine and stinging him to death.
13. The Daisy: This is a story about a Daisy that grows outside a mansion amongst other flowers. Despite being small, the Daisy is happy and grateful for the sunshine and the beautiful Lark that sometimes visits it. But when the Lark is captured and put in a cage, the Daisy wishes to comfort it but can’t. Later, the Lark dies from thirst while the boys who captured it cry and bury it with respect, leaving the Daisy forgotten on the road.
14. The Devoted Friend: The story is about a poor gardener named Hans and his wealthy friend, the miller. The miller constantly asks Hans for favors, and Hans obliges because he believes in true friendship. However, when Hans asks for help, the miller always has an excuse. Eventually, Hans dies while helping the miller during a storm. The miller attends Hans’s funeral and is most concerned about the fate of the wheelbarrow he promised to give Hans.
15. The Old Oak Tree’s Last Dream: The story is about an old oak tree that is 365 years old, and during its last day of autumn, it witnesses the day-fly living its entire life in just one day. The tree is envious of the joy and exuberance of the day-fly and laments its own long existence. During its winter sleep, the oak tree has a dream that it’s growing in light and brightness while all its loved ones, including plants and animals, are with it. It wakes up to the sound of Christmas carols and a storm that has uprooted it. A ship hears of the fallen landmark and sings a hymn of joy and redemption, just like the old oak during its dream.

In conclusion, these Top 15 Stories About Dying provide a gentle introduction for kids to the concept of loss, emphasizing the importance of cherishing memories and celebrating the lives of those who have passed away. By exploring different aspects of grieving, love, and friendship, these stories also help children appreciate the precious moments they share with their loved ones and navigate their feelings in the face of loss. Reading these tales helps kids understand that even though death is a part of life, the warmth and love of the people we hold dear always remain in our hearts.