Quick! Where's the emergency? (Choking Wolf - Dosh Archer)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Choking Wolf - Dosh Archer
Date:	17/08/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun book for early readers

Disadvantages: none

'Choking Wolf 'is a wonderful book for children who are just starting reading and is part of a series called 'Urgency Emergency!' All of the stories take place at City Hospital and feature the heroic actions of Doctor Glenda and Nurse Percy. Each story focuses on a different emergency, quite often concerning some interesting characters that your child might already know from other stories.

At the beginning of 'Choking Wolf', Nurse Percy is comforting a small character in a red coat who has lost her granny. Suddenly the two penguin paramedics appear carrying a wolf on their stretcher who apparently has something stuck in his throat which means he is having difficulty breathing. Doctor Glenda and Nurse Percy carry out a series of investigations to find out the cause of the problem and eventually work out that someone is stuck in his throat. Eventually, after some emergency procedures, out pops Granny complete with glasses and blue slippers!

It is a short but complete story told with much humour and accompanied by some very funny illustrations that I feel sure most children will love. My daughters like the way that the story involves well known characters from one of their favourite fairy tales as well. However, there is a slight twist as all of the characters are animals - Doctor Glenda is a dog, Nurse Percy is a chicken and Little Red Riding Hood and her granny are both sheep. My daughters love the fact that they are all animals and seem to find this fact very amusing.

My almost six year old daughter loves reading this book (as well as the others in the series) and enjoys being able to read the story to her younger sister. The language is very accessible and with not too much text on any of the forty eight pages, it is well within her grasp. You also notice, once you have read a few of the books in the series, that there are some recurring and familiar patterns. At the start of each book the ambulance arrives and the 'pengamedics' always shout out the same words which unsurprisingly are 'Urgency! Emergency!' The stories all end with Doctor Glenda stating that 'it was all in a day's work!' My daughter likes these familiar refrains and also seems to like the way that all of the stories have a similar shape to them.

All the books in the series are described as 'madcap readers that make reading fun!' and this is very true. They are absolutely ideal for children who are just starting to read independently but also lovely books to read to children too. I am sure they will appeal to children of all ages and will be books that they want to return to many times.

The book is available for £3.49 on Amazon.

This review has previously appeared as a similar version under my name at www.thebookbag.co.uk

Summary: All in a day's work!