A grieving mother from Wiltshire has written and published a series of children's books about dealing with grief after the death of her two daughters.

Scarlett Black, from Marlborough, was forced to live every parent's worst nightmare when she buried her two children at Marlborough Cemetary last month.

Her daughter Millie-Grace was stillborn and cremated in June 2021, and her second daughter, Carmen, died aged only 13 weeks on June 22 this year and has been buried with Millie-Grace's ashes.

While grieving herself, 30-year-old Scarlett says the loss has been especially hard on her other two children, aged five and six, who have struggled to understand. 

Scarlett had to go through the unimaginable when burying her two daughtersScarlett had to go through the unimaginable when burying her two daughters (Image: Scarlett Black) Scarlett with baby Carmen, who died aged 13 weeks.Scarlett with baby Carmen, who died aged 13 weeks. (Image: Scarlett Black)

"It has had a massive effect on my whole family, especially for one of my children who has autism," she told the Gazette and Herald.

"My children were so confused and had so many questions and emotions they struggled to understand."

Scarlett has now written and published a series of children's books that explain grief and loss in a way that young children can understand.

The Rainbow Bridge of Love is a fiction book that follows the story of a bunny and an owl in the forest who discover a rainbow bridge that connects heaven and earth together.

Scarlett's children struggled to understand where their siblings had gone.Scarlett's children struggled to understand where their siblings had gone. (Image: Scarlett Black)

Her second book, the Angels Of The Sky, is about two siblings who wake up one morning confused as to where their sister has gone and go on a journey through grief and memories.

“My aim for my books is to try and help small children understand the loss of a sibling or a relative close to them and help them understand their grief," Scarlett explained.

“At the back of The Angels Of The Sky, I have also added a few pages for carers with tips on how to help a child grieve and a few activities that they can do together to remember their loved ones.

"These tips all come from personal experience of what helped me help my children."

All profits from Scarlett's book series will go towards an end-of-life care charity, and the mother-turned-author is also in the process of setting up a new charity in her daughters' names to help other grieving families.

The books can be purchased for £10 each from Scarlett's Linktree page, which also links to other useful resources for grieving families.