Wigan mum writes children's book in memory of much-loved son

Gemma Whittle’s two-year-old son Reggie Dennis Gaskin died following unexpected complications after a hip dysplasia operation in autumn 2023.

Following his death, Gemma says she kept seeing little signs that Reggie was still with her and was inspired to collect them for the book.

Gemma said: “Reggie loved everything about exploring the world.

"He loved being outside and around nature.

"He had a hip dysplasia operation last year, so he was living with hip dysplasia and we didn’t know.

"He went in on November 15 2023 and there were unrelated complications to the operation and he passed away on the morning of the 16th.

"It was awful, he was never a poorly boy just so happy and content and loved his little life.

"It’s still very strange that this is even our reality.

"I’ve always been quite a spiritual person and two weeks after he died, two little robins came to live in our garden.

"There were quite a lot of strange phenomena like a rare red rainbow and lots of shooting stars.

"We went to the beach for my birthday and there was a halo around the sun which I hadn’t seen before.

"Things like this kept happening so I kept documenting them.

"My granddad did a lovely speech at his funeral and called Reggie ‘the boy with a magic smile’ which sparked it might be a nice story for a children’s book to keep his name and his spirit alive.”

The Boy with the Magic Smile is about a special young boy who visits Earth to help his lovable animal companions, including a bear, an owl, a mouse, a duck and dog, as they navigate a world filled with glimmers and hope.

Gemma added: “I read about glimmers, which are the opposite of triggers, which are what I needed: to look for glimmers instead of triggers on top of being in such heavy grief.

"I thought it might be something that could help other people.

"I’ve done it in a story format with five different animal characters and a special angel comes to help them.

"They all have different negative emotions and the little boy helps them.”

You can buy Gemma’s book online at https://themagicshelfcollection.com/