I dare you to try and not love this winning combination of story and images from Charlotte Middleton. Just the mention of derring -do and the mental image of a brave young guinea pig on an adventure and, sadly, I was hooked. Christopher Nibble is a hamster who had one thing he loved more than football: eating dandelion leaves.

Christopher Nibble is a cute story, with some collage embedded into the illustrations, about patience, environmental sustainability, and of course, the beauty of dandelions (which I mentioned my love for in an earlier book post). Topsy Turvy Theatre have turned Christopher Nibble into magical life in this entertaining, humorous theatre show. Written especially for children aged 2-7 (and their big people too) and told with Topsy Turvy Theatre’s own blend of energetic storytelling, handmade puppets, original music and stunning scenery, Christopher Nibble is an uplifting story of one guinea pig’s selfless undertaking to help halt the disappearance of the delicious dandelion forever! The performers] had good boundless energy, jolly and quizzical facial expressions throughout, and a clear sense of timing and choreography” – Jonathan Brown Fringe Review, Fringe Recommended. Author and illustrator Charlotte Middleton introduces the wonderful Christopher Nibble’s latest eco-adventure!A warm-hearted adaptation of the well-known children’s book about a plucky guinea pig – Christopher Nibble. I would probably have bought this book just for its title; Christopher Nibble in a tale of dandelion derring- do!

It will delight your KS1 pupils and keep them engaged in cross curricular literacy for weeks on end. The young guinea pigs have worked their magic again and ignited the interest of all the residents of Dandeville and hopefully some aspiring young readers too! Once we had the planeter up, we then went about filing it with gravel and then compost ready to plant our seeds in.

The guinea pigs gather together and hatch a plan to save Christmas… but everything they do seems to cause chaos and calamity. Christopher Nibble's tale of dandelion derring-do is a delightful starting point for a KS1 topic, says Judy Clark. This was a great opportunity for the children to use some tools as well as introducing them to the concept of following a set of instructions.

I love the snapshot of what happens in the town when the dandelions run out, as the local restaurant menus need to be changed, with sold out signs everywhere and new varieties of products being introduced in their place; what appears to be beetroot jam and carrot juice! The guinea pigs of Dandeville love munching dandelion leaves so much that dandelions are disappearing from all over town.Animals wearing clothing, especially clothing that looks like it has been made out of a Liberty Print, is almost too precious for me. Written and illustrated by Charlotte Middleton and adapted for the stage by Claire Alizon Hills, Topsy Turvy Theatre, the company who brought you Ruby Flew Too!

You could create an aerial map of Dandeville or become town planners and build a scale model of key landmarks in the town. Then it will be all change as the dandelions run out and the class could set about creating new menus using all of the vegetables they don’t like.Charlotte Middleton has illustrated her witty, quirky story with charming collage illustrations and her guinea pigs are the most endearing, funky little characters you are ever likely to meet. The fantastic image of a guinea pig in front of the internet bidding on one of the last remaining leaves in existence is a joy.