Oliver the meatball marvel and other child heroes

When five-year-old Oliver Bevans saw his little brother choking on a meatball, he knew exactly what to do.

"I smacked him on the back three times, the meatball came out and then he was better," he said.

However, Oliver's matter-of-fact explanation downplays the significance of his intervention, which saw him use newly acquired first-aid training when his grandmother briefly stepped out of the room, reports the BBC.

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But he isn't the first youngster to save the day. Here is The Week's pick of the top child heroes.

Roman, aged four

Despite his young age, Roman from Croydon saved his mother's life by calling 999 when she fell unconscious.

"[Mummy's] closing her eyes and she's not breathing," he told the operator.

Thanks to his quick thinking, paramedics were dispatched immediately to the family's home and successfully treated Roman's mother.

The Metropolitan Police released an audio clip of the call and said it served as a reminder to parents to teach young children their home address and what they should do in an emergency.

Bowdy, aged two

Branded a "pint-sized hero" by the Daily Mail, two-year-old Bowdy rescued his twin brother, Brock, when a chest of drawers fell on top of him.

After struggling to lift the chest, the toddler calmly worked out he could push it off Brock and free him.

His actions were all caught on the family's home surveillance cameras and his parents, Ricky and Kaylie Shoff, from Utah, in the US, released the video on Facebook to raise awareness of the dangers of free-standing furniture.

They added they were "so grateful for the bond these twin brothers share".

Vivienne Harr, aged eight

She may not be the first child to set up a lemonade stall for charity, but Vivienne Harr of Fairfax, California, used hers to raise more than $100,000 (£771,000) for anti-slavery charity Not for Sale.

Her father, Eric, helped spread her story with a Twitter feed and word quickly got out, helping the young philanthropist to make $101,320.

Vivienne has now turned her initiative into a fairtrade lemonade business, Make a Stand Lemonade, backed by Twitter's co-founder Biz Stone.