Dusty was my friend by Andrea Fleck Clardy

Dusty was my friend: coming to terms with loss by Andrea Fleck Clardy, illustrated by Eleanor Alexander. Human Sciences Press, 1984.

This book concerns death by accident and the death of a peer, both rarely dealt with topics for this age group. The narrator and his brother, Peter, have difficulty in accepting their friend Dusty's death. The narrator seeks information about the car accident in order to understand Dusty's death. This question seeking is a common part of the grief process. The narrator expresses his grief through a letter to Dusty, and by cherishing his memories of Dusty. This is an older text, with soft almost monochrome illustrations.