THE mother of Skye Hall said it “breaks her heart” knowing her newborn son will never meet his older brother.

Sally Hall opened her heart to the Oxford Mail as the family rushed to buy copies of a new book by Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson which was dedicated to the inspirational five-year-old.

Skye, of Abingdon, died in August 2014 as a result of radio-chemo neurotoxicity, having battled a brain tumour for a year.

His baby brother Flynn Alexander Phoenix was born on September 13.

Mrs Hall said it was “hard to breathe” on what would have been Skye’s seventh birthday last week.

The 37-year-old added: “It’s so hard to explain the emotions. But his brother Jesse adores him and he’s been fantastic. I hear him talking to Flynn all the time about his big brother.

“On his birthday Jesse made a cake and shouted happy birthday up to Skye.”

Mrs Donaldson dedicated The Gruffalo Autumn Nature Trail in memory of Skye after his dad Andrew, 43, told his story at one of her book signings shortly after he died.

Mr and Mrs Hall are also parents to Jesse, four.

They launched charity Blue Skye Thinking to fund research into alternative treatments for childhood cancers.

The family constantly organise events to fundraise for the charity which has become part of their everyday life.

Mrs Hall said: “Seeing the book being dedicated to him is amazing because Julia is someone Skye admired so much.”

Mrs Hall said she and her son used to read Ms Donaldson’s books in hospital and at home.

She added: “Skye absolutely loved Jack and the FlumFlum Tree, which he could recite off by heart.

“Skye and Jesse had Gruffalo child costumes. They always wanted to dress up and it was brilliant to watch them.”

Mrs Donaldson said: “While I sadly never met Skye, I was very touched by the video clip which I saw of him and his younger brother Jesse, and impressed by what his parents told me about Skye’s courage and his love of discovering new things.

“That’s why I dedicated The Gruffalo Autumn Nature Trail to Skye and Jesse.

“I hope Jesse and his new baby brother Flynn enjoy discovering all the wonderful things that autumn brings.”

The family were worried when Flynn was taken into the high dependency unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington with suspected meningitis shortly after he was born.

Mrs Hall said: “Thanks to some exceptionally perceptive staff members he was fine.

When we went to visit the oncology ward, Jesse turned and said to me ‘since we can’t buy birthday presents for Skye we should buy for his friends on the ward’.

“So we went and bought some books, dress-up costumes and went to the ward. There is a board of new names and families going through what we did.”