Kid into books - Red Sky in the Morning

This week's title: Red Sky in the Morning

Author: Elizabeth Laird

Illustrator: Angelo Rinaldi

Publisher:Macmillan, $13.95

Age Group: 10 years +


How would they get Mum down the stairs on a stretcher? Supposing it stuck, like that time when Dad was fitting units in their bedroom, and he and Mum were trying to get the old wardrobe down the stairs? It got completely wedged between the wall and the banisters, and Dad had to get a saw and cut it in half before it took off any more wallpaper. He was furious, and it took hours to free the wardrobe. But Mum hadn't got hours. If she got stuck on her stretcher, she'd have to have the baby right there on the stairs.

As it happened, Mum didn't need a stretcher at all. Dad came out of the bedroom, looking pale and shaky and awful, and the men ran upstairs and then one rushed out again and said.

'Where's the telephone my love?'

'This is Alan here,' he said. 'I've got an emergency over on Blythe Road. Lady in labour. Too far gone to get her to hospital. She's started pushing, and the baby's almost there. Stan's doing what he can, but he says it's not looking quite right. best get a doctor over here quick. We've got the oxygen and stuff, but we haven't got all the neo-natal kit if they need to do full resuscitation.'

He must have forgotten about me, because he started off up the stairs again when he'd put the receiver down. I couldn't bear to let him go. I had to know what was going on.

'Is - is everything all right?' I said.