What do you think?
Charlie & Lola
But I do know ALL about chocolate
Charlie has this little sister Lola. She thinks she knows all about chocolate.
Lola says, "I really extremely do like chocolate."
Join Lola as she learns where her favourite treat really comes from, and how buying Fairtrade chocolate can make a big difference.
In buying this completely special book you are donating money to Comic RElief and helping some of the most vulnerable people in the UK and Africa.
Lola says, "I really extremely do like chocolate."
Join Lola as she learns where her favourite treat really comes from, and how buying Fairtrade chocolate can make a big difference.
In buying this completely special book you are donating money to Comic RElief and helping some of the most vulnerable people in the UK and Africa.
18 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
About the author
Lauren Child
459 books853 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.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 3, 2019
When Charlie and Lola go shopping and their mum tells them that can have a treat, Lola always says that she wants chocolate.
Lola says, 'I really, extremely do like chocolate' and she likes chocolate buttons, chocolate eggs and chocolate money. She also likes cake with chocolate 'in the middle and on the outsidey bits too'. She goes on to say that she likes 'chocolate in the shape of animals' and 'chocolate in the shape of shapes'.
Charlie challenges her with, 'But I bet you don't know where chocolate comes from.' Lola says that she does know where chocolate comes from - 'The shops,' she says. Charlie corrects her and tells her that chocolate actually 'comes from trees'.
Lola is surprised and says, 'I didn't know there was an actual, in fact, chocolate tree which grows chocolate.' She then tells Charlie that she might grow one in their garden along with some chocolate flowers and possibly a chocolate house!
Once again Charlie has to correct her by explaining that the tree has pods on it with cocoa beans inside and that the cocoa beans get squashed and mixed with milk and sugar to make the chocolate. That prompts Lola to say that she will grow one of those cocoa trees and make chocolate herself.
Charlie tells her that will not be possible and that farmers in Africa work really really hard to look after their trees, pick the pods, extract the cocoa beans, dry them in the hot sun, put the beans in sacks and then sell them to the chocolate factory.
After Lola has said that it sounds a really hard job Charlie explains that the farmers don't even get paid very much money for picking 'all those millions and catrillions of cocoa beans'. Lola is annoyed and says, 'Oh that is NOT very fair.'
Charlie says that he knows it is not fair but adds that their mum says it is possible to help the farmers get paid more by buying chocolate with a special label on it that says 'fairtrade'. He also tells Lola that 'fairtrade' can also be found on other products such as orange juice, cereals, bananas, honey, nuts,cookies, chewy bars, coffee, sugar, jam, sweets and flowers. He says that there are even fairtrade cotton t-shirts and footballs.
When they get back from the shop Charlie asks for a piece of chocolate but Lola says, I have gobbled it all up.' 'That's completely not fair,' says Charlie!
A great story with a message there for everyone - and it is outlined on the inside back cover of the book along with facts about Comic Relief, which benefited from the sales of this book ... now, where is that chocolate?
Lola says, 'I really, extremely do like chocolate' and she likes chocolate buttons, chocolate eggs and chocolate money. She also likes cake with chocolate 'in the middle and on the outsidey bits too'. She goes on to say that she likes 'chocolate in the shape of animals' and 'chocolate in the shape of shapes'.
Charlie challenges her with, 'But I bet you don't know where chocolate comes from.' Lola says that she does know where chocolate comes from - 'The shops,' she says. Charlie corrects her and tells her that chocolate actually 'comes from trees'.
Lola is surprised and says, 'I didn't know there was an actual, in fact, chocolate tree which grows chocolate.' She then tells Charlie that she might grow one in their garden along with some chocolate flowers and possibly a chocolate house!
Once again Charlie has to correct her by explaining that the tree has pods on it with cocoa beans inside and that the cocoa beans get squashed and mixed with milk and sugar to make the chocolate. That prompts Lola to say that she will grow one of those cocoa trees and make chocolate herself.
Charlie tells her that will not be possible and that farmers in Africa work really really hard to look after their trees, pick the pods, extract the cocoa beans, dry them in the hot sun, put the beans in sacks and then sell them to the chocolate factory.
After Lola has said that it sounds a really hard job Charlie explains that the farmers don't even get paid very much money for picking 'all those millions and catrillions of cocoa beans'. Lola is annoyed and says, 'Oh that is NOT very fair.'
Charlie says that he knows it is not fair but adds that their mum says it is possible to help the farmers get paid more by buying chocolate with a special label on it that says 'fairtrade'. He also tells Lola that 'fairtrade' can also be found on other products such as orange juice, cereals, bananas, honey, nuts,cookies, chewy bars, coffee, sugar, jam, sweets and flowers. He says that there are even fairtrade cotton t-shirts and footballs.
When they get back from the shop Charlie asks for a piece of chocolate but Lola says, I have gobbled it all up.' 'That's completely not fair,' says Charlie!
A great story with a message there for everyone - and it is outlined on the inside back cover of the book along with facts about Comic Relief, which benefited from the sales of this book ... now, where is that chocolate?
June 2, 2020
I always loved this book and returned to it as part of a reading challenge that I made for myself.
I bought it (well my Mum did) with the knowledge that I’d love another “Charlie and Lola” book. I had this book for years, not knowing the meaning of it.
As I return to read some of my favourite childhood books, it’s easier to understand the simplist meanings that the author is trying to convey to younger audiences and in this book, they were trying to show that there are children, possibly their age and older (or younger), that are in the slave trade, mass producing products and earning little to no money for their work, yet with FairTrade, they can help.
I didn’t think much of the FairTrade stickers that were shown, other than a scary sticker, with a freaky parrot on it. Yet they help these people to earn a fair wage for their work, and by reading this book, we see how important it is to teach children at a young age, to be grateful for their lives and recognise that not everyone is living a life like theirs.
I will definitely save this book for my children. Five stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I bought it (well my Mum did) with the knowledge that I’d love another “Charlie and Lola” book. I had this book for years, not knowing the meaning of it.
As I return to read some of my favourite childhood books, it’s easier to understand the simplist meanings that the author is trying to convey to younger audiences and in this book, they were trying to show that there are children, possibly their age and older (or younger), that are in the slave trade, mass producing products and earning little to no money for their work, yet with FairTrade, they can help.
I didn’t think much of the FairTrade stickers that were shown, other than a scary sticker, with a freaky parrot on it. Yet they help these people to earn a fair wage for their work, and by reading this book, we see how important it is to teach children at a young age, to be grateful for their lives and recognise that not everyone is living a life like theirs.
I will definitely save this book for my children. Five stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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December 6, 2025I ate chocolate
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews