What do you think?
Rate this book
Charlie & Lola
I completely KNOW about guinea pigs
Lola gets to bring the class guinea pig, Bert, home over school vacation! She takes good care of Bert, but when she and Charlie build him a guinea pig run, he escapes. They hunt all over, and when they find him, they also discover a big surprise?lots of absolutely very adorable baby Berts! This new Charlie and Lola adventure will have readers giggling and wishing for a pet guinea pig of their very own.Book HardcoverPublication 8/14/2008 32Reading Age 3 and Up
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 14, 2008
3 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Child
450 books841 followersLauren Child MBE is an English author and illustrator. She was the UK Children's Laureate from 2017-19.
Child grew up in Wiltshire as the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching American children's shows from the 1960s. After attending two Art Schools, she travelled for six months, still unsure about which career to embark upon.
Before writing and illustrating children's books Child started her own company 'Chandeliers for the People' making lampshades. It was only when she came to write and illustrate the book Clarice Bean, That's Me that she decided to devote her time to writing and illustrating books for children, which combines her fascination for childhood and her talent for designing and creating. Child gets her inspiration from other people's conversations or from seeing something funny happen.
Her book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the 2000 Kate Greenaway Medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which comprised the shortlist for a public vote for the nation's favourite. It finished third in the public vote from that shortlist.
Child lives in North London.
Child grew up in Wiltshire as the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching American children's shows from the 1960s. After attending two Art Schools, she travelled for six months, still unsure about which career to embark upon.
Before writing and illustrating children's books Child started her own company 'Chandeliers for the People' making lampshades. It was only when she came to write and illustrate the book Clarice Bean, That's Me that she decided to devote her time to writing and illustrating books for children, which combines her fascination for childhood and her talent for designing and creating. Child gets her inspiration from other people's conversations or from seeing something funny happen.
Her book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the 2000 Kate Greenaway Medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which comprised the shortlist for a public vote for the nation's favourite. It finished third in the public vote from that shortlist.
Child lives in North London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 25, 2019
Lola is really excited about looking after the school guinea pig, Bert, for the school holidays. Her brother Charlie asks if she has asked their Mum to which Lola replies, 'Yes, she said it will be completely FINE.'
At school Lotta tells Lola that there are lots of different kinds of guinea pigs and Mini adds that Bert is a boy guinea pig as Lola thought, because of his 'pretty hair', he was a girl guinea pig. Mini also tells Lola that she has a guinea pig at home and he comes from Peru, 'Peruuuu?' asks Lola, Where is Peruuuu?' She is told that it is a long way away and that there is plenty of long grass in which the guinea pigs hide, because, as she says, 'they are shy'.
Lola is then told all the things that guinea pigs like and what they enjoy eating so that she will be prepared once Bert gets home. Lola can't wait to get Bert home, as she feels that she has learned everything there is to know about guinea pigs.
Once at home she won't play snap with Charlie for she tells him, 'No thank you, Charlie. I am stroking Bert because I don't want him to be lonely.' Their Dad builds a guinea pig run for Bert, but when Bert goes missing, Lola is worried, 'Bert is completely GONE!' she declares dramatically. She worries that he might not have liked her and that he has run away. 'What am I going to say to Mrs Hanson?' asks Lola of Charlie.
But then she hears squeaking and sees a little guinea pig and she thinks Bert has shrunk. But it transpires that he has not and that Lola was right after all … Bert is a girl. Lola says, 'I think Bert has had babies. I said he was a girl!'
Another fun adventure with this irresistibly comic duo.
At school Lotta tells Lola that there are lots of different kinds of guinea pigs and Mini adds that Bert is a boy guinea pig as Lola thought, because of his 'pretty hair', he was a girl guinea pig. Mini also tells Lola that she has a guinea pig at home and he comes from Peru, 'Peruuuu?' asks Lola, Where is Peruuuu?' She is told that it is a long way away and that there is plenty of long grass in which the guinea pigs hide, because, as she says, 'they are shy'.
Lola is then told all the things that guinea pigs like and what they enjoy eating so that she will be prepared once Bert gets home. Lola can't wait to get Bert home, as she feels that she has learned everything there is to know about guinea pigs.
Once at home she won't play snap with Charlie for she tells him, 'No thank you, Charlie. I am stroking Bert because I don't want him to be lonely.' Their Dad builds a guinea pig run for Bert, but when Bert goes missing, Lola is worried, 'Bert is completely GONE!' she declares dramatically. She worries that he might not have liked her and that he has run away. 'What am I going to say to Mrs Hanson?' asks Lola of Charlie.
But then she hears squeaking and sees a little guinea pig and she thinks Bert has shrunk. But it transpires that he has not and that Lola was right after all … Bert is a girl. Lola says, 'I think Bert has had babies. I said he was a girl!'
Another fun adventure with this irresistibly comic duo.
November 19, 2023
I love that this book has a more collage like effect which is so creative. Lola is not as obnoxious in this book and little ones get to learn about guinea pigs and how to take care of them through Lola.
July 3, 2024
Four children in the class all want to take home Bert the guinea pig. Lola is selected because she is the star of the show. Kudos on representation, but this means Lola is selected over three children of color, at least two of whom know much more about guinea pigs than Lola, who thinks Bert must be a girl because of the hair style.. At home there is an elaborate run for Bert and then Bert disappears. We don't know who built the cool tunnel, which would have been nice: seeing somebody put in that effort to make the pet happy.
Anyway, it's interesting that one of the "facts" really isn't. You can feed them cooked potato peel just fine; contra internet warnings, they are not poisonous. They may be too good: potato peels as human kitchen waste is among the preferred choices to feed guinea pigs as microlivestock. Guinea pigs as a protein source for people in warm climates who are very poor didn't show up in the text.
Anyway, the deliberate choice to go hard on sexist stereotypes is rather offputting. No more books based on scripts from children's television. Otherwise I'm in danger of straining my eyes with the eye rolls.
Lauren Child remains a brilliant writer and illustrator and fabric designer and so forth and I am not even a tiny bit out of love with the books she actually wrote or illustrated.
Library copy
Anyway, it's interesting that one of the "facts" really isn't. You can feed them cooked potato peel just fine; contra internet warnings, they are not poisonous. They may be too good: potato peels as human kitchen waste is among the preferred choices to feed guinea pigs as microlivestock. Guinea pigs as a protein source for people in warm climates who are very poor didn't show up in the text.
Anyway, the deliberate choice to go hard on sexist stereotypes is rather offputting. No more books based on scripts from children's television. Otherwise I'm in danger of straining my eyes with the eye rolls.
Lauren Child remains a brilliant writer and illustrator and fabric designer and so forth and I am not even a tiny bit out of love with the books she actually wrote or illustrated.
Library copy
Read
May 9, 2012This is a story told by Charlie, about when his little sister Lola brings the class guinea pig home to look after for the holidays. The book goes through different types of guinea pigs, where guinea pigs live and where they are from, how to look after them and many other things, bringing in lots of cross curricular links to geography, history, science and in a way PSHE (how to treat animals etc). The book is written in a very child friendly way; the way that children talk to each other, using a lot of humour. The text is spread out differently on every page, using lots of different fonts and sizes, writing upside down, in patterns and inbetween pictures. I love the way that the illustrations are mixed with real images of animals and landscapes and that they are so bright and interesting- children want to see more so want to keep reading on and exploring. This is a lovely book for adults to read to children and then ask questions relating to the things covered in the book, as well as for children to explore on their own in foundation and early KS1.
July 4, 2025
This is apparently a book based on a telly episode in the UK. The TV series was originally based on books by Lauren Child, but not this one.
I knew that you couldn't explain everything you need to know about guinea pigs in 30 odd pages, and thankfully, the author doesn't try to do that. The title refers to a boast by Lola, who knows very, very little about guinea pigs.
There is some misinformation about guinea pigs in here. Lola's classmate says that her pet guinea pig is from Peru. That's bollocks. Domestic guinea pigs have changed so much from their wild ancestors that we're not even sure what cavy species were their wild ancestors. I highly doubt that Lola's classmate had a wild cavy. Most likely, her guinea pig came from the same town she lived in.
There are times when potato peel is okay to feed to guinea pigs, but the advice not feed chips (UK or USA versions) is sound. Feeding bran is NOT, as another of Lola's classmates recommends.
It's also extremely easy to tell a male guinea pig from a female after the testicles drop around three months of age. Sadly, female guinea pigs can become pregnant when they are two months old.
Still, the plot line was pretty unbelievable. And the art wasn't that good.
I knew that you couldn't explain everything you need to know about guinea pigs in 30 odd pages, and thankfully, the author doesn't try to do that. The title refers to a boast by Lola, who knows very, very little about guinea pigs.
There is some misinformation about guinea pigs in here. Lola's classmate says that her pet guinea pig is from Peru. That's bollocks. Domestic guinea pigs have changed so much from their wild ancestors that we're not even sure what cavy species were their wild ancestors. I highly doubt that Lola's classmate had a wild cavy. Most likely, her guinea pig came from the same town she lived in.
There are times when potato peel is okay to feed to guinea pigs, but the advice not feed chips (UK or USA versions) is sound. Feeding bran is NOT, as another of Lola's classmates recommends.
It's also extremely easy to tell a male guinea pig from a female after the testicles drop around three months of age. Sadly, female guinea pigs can become pregnant when they are two months old.
Still, the plot line was pretty unbelievable. And the art wasn't that good.
April 25, 2018
Lola really wants to be chosen by her teacher to be the one who gets to take their classroom pet home over the break. Bert is the class' guinea pig, and all of the kids adore him. Some of the kids know a LOT more about guinea pigs than Lola does, but fate smiles on her and she gets to take Bert home. Her teacher explains how to take care of Bert - what he needs to eat and drink, and how to keep him warm and healthy. Lola builds a huge guinea pig run for Bert to play in while he's visiting, but while he's in it, he disappears! Where could he be? Charlie and Lola look all over and finally discover Bert's hiding place - with a bunch of little Berts! Cute story, love the mixture of drawings and photos collaged together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2019
I would rate this book a 4/5 because it was cute and informational, but had an abrupt ending. The version I read was copyrighted in 2008, the genre is realistic fiction and the main theme I noticed was responsibility. My favorite part was when the kids are in the long grass while talking about how Mini’s guinea pig is from Peru. I might use this book in my future classroom in an elementary school setting when we focus on different elements of stories (setting, characters, what did you learn, etc.).
March 8, 2020
I liked this book and I think preschoolers would enjoy this. I kept hearing Charlie and Lola in their British accents in my head so if I were to read this book out loud to the kids I would try my best to recreate their accents.
May 2, 2022
A fun story about how to care for guinea pigs which is mostly accurate (you don't have to take them indoors at night unless you live in sub-zero climates - they come from Peru). There's a good twist at the end, and characters with lots of personality.
September 25, 2017
i would like to have a guinea pig someday, but i found this book a little boring. my mom found it hard to read outloud because of the combination of text and graphic style of reading (age 5)
January 1, 2019
This gets an extra star because Lola and Charlie are my favorite siblings ever.
June 9, 2019
Guinea pigs guinea pigs guinea pigs guinea pigs
August 28, 2019
Pretty gorgeous book about Charlie, his little sister Lola and the class pet Guinea Pig they looked after.
July 15, 2021
This was not my favorite. It's a lot of information on guinea pigs.
August 8, 2022
Fun book with a surprise ending!😉
September 12, 2025
Hilarious! Cute pics of guinea pigs. Charlie and Lola go on quite the adventure with this guinea pig!
June 6, 2013
This is the third of the Charlie and Lola books I have read and I was not disappointed. The book tells the story of Lola, who is the main character in all of Lauren Child's books as she brings home the class guinea pig to look after for the holidays. In asking her friend for advice we learn all about the features and lifestlye of a guinea pig and the importance of caring for animals. As with her previous books, Lauren Child fascinates the children with eye catching illustrations which really capture ones attention. Lola and Bert the guinea pig have lots of fun and this story will surely entertain all who read it. This book is most suited to both reception and year 1 and would link extremely well to science topics such as life processes and the environment whilst delivering the message of the importance of looking after animals. .
September 22, 2011
This book is part of the Charlie and Lola series. This particular book is about how Lola wants to take home the class pet of guinea pig, when she does take it home the pig goes missing and when it is found it has had children. In my opinion I think this is a very good book as its very informative explaining all the different types of guinea pigs, what they eat, where they sleep and how they generally survive. This is a good thing to tackle as many children probably have a pet such as a guinea pig and it’ll teach them how to look after it properly. The use of pictures in this book helps readers understand the text as the readers are young ranging from nursery children to year two and three children.
June 25, 2015
This is about a sibling pair; and older brother Charlie and his little sister Lola. It's told from Charlie's view point and often times the stories teach a lesson (most of the time what his little sister has learnt)
This one Lola thinks she knows every thing there is to know about guinea pigs and hopes her teacher picks her to take their school pet home with her. The teacher does and Lola finds out that she doesn't know as much as she though but the one thing she kept saying about the animal did in fact come true in the end.
This one Lola thinks she knows every thing there is to know about guinea pigs and hopes her teacher picks her to take their school pet home with her. The teacher does and Lola finds out that she doesn't know as much as she though but the one thing she kept saying about the animal did in fact come true in the end.
October 23, 2010
Our girls love the Charlie and Lola series on television, so when I read these stories I like to put on my best English accent. It's not always a hit, but they still enjoy the stories. This is a fun tale about taking care of the class pet at home during school vacation. We enjoyed reading this book and will certainly look for more Charlie and Lola books at our local library.
March 20, 2016
Lola gets to bring the class guinea pig, Bert, home over school vacation! She takes good care of Bert, but when she and Charlie build him a guinea pig run, he escapes. They hunt all over, and when they find him, they also discover a big surprise?lots of absolutely very adorable baby Berts!
This new Charlie and Lola adventure will have readers giggling and wishing for a pet guinea pig of their very own.
This new Charlie and Lola adventure will have readers giggling and wishing for a pet guinea pig of their very own.
September 22, 2011
Your kid WILL want a guinea pig. Thanks, Charlie and Lola! Kidding aside, I thought the reading of this book was awkward and quite possibly it's because it's actually a teleplay? Yes, it is! Well! My kid and I still liked it plenty and we do want a guinea pig and we do think we know about them now. It's cute.
September 19, 2012
This book would be great to use in a kindergarten classroom for science. A fun thing to do with the kids while reading this book is to talk in a British accent because the girl is from England in the book. After reading this book the kids can draw their own animal and write characteristics of their animals. Writing bulids on the students' writing skills.
May 31, 2013
Another fun Charlie and Lola adventure. I think this is not an original-by-Lauren-Child book, but it's a pretty good one. Lola learns about guinea pigs when she takes the class guinea pig home, and her opinion that he looks like a girl turns out to be true!
May 8, 2017
This book is a lot of fun. We love the characters. Lola is so funny, innocent, enthusiastic, and fun. Her older brother is patient and kind. The story itself is silly and funny. This book is loved by all the ages in our house. We continue to reread it years after the first time.
Read
November 11, 2008Fun story about taking care of Bert the school guinea pig for the summer. Is Bert a boy or a girl???
March 15, 2011
I love Charlie and Lola and we had several pet guinea pigs when I was growing up so how could I resist?
June 30, 2011
As ususal Lauren Child gives us a phenomenal book that just happens to be about one of my favorite subjects. Childs perfectly captures Lola's childlike qualities of knowing everything!
March 30, 2012
Don't be like 'I know everything' and pets are a lot of responsibility. D. & J.
December 3, 2013
Lots of good information about guinea pigs. This book would make a great gift for children receiving a guinea pig or thinking about getting one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews