Charlie and Lola

"Charlie and Lola" is a lovely, sweet show, done with respect for its young audience. Far too many shows seem to come from creators who think "Hey, they're just kids, we don't have to make it good!"

My daughter is 8, a bit above the age-level at which the show is aimed, but she loves it and I tape it for her every day. I love it too!

I second Chris451's comment that it's wonderful to have real children doing the voices--Lola's best friend Lotta's giggle is particularly delicious!

If you haven't read them, find the books (not widely available in the US, but not impossible to find)--the show is quite true to them, but both are charming. "I Am Not Sleepy and Will Not Go to Bed" is particularly nice for a bedtime stories.

I think this show is adorable.

I was just about finishing childhood when it was first being shown but a few years later I did fall for its simple charm.

It maintains the same collage-based animation style reminiscent of the original books, making it not as kitsch or garish as a lot of animated shows (I like this style, don't misunderstand me, but it can be excruciating to watch them with people).

The easy going but well paced stories nicely fill that 11 minutes before bed since they're not very challenging or emotive and aren't too sanctimonious with their message.

Lola herself is adorable: her playful and naive personality is really the centre of the show. She feels and speaks like a child yet is still articulate enough to not be an infuriating or boring character.

Her relationship with Charlie is also quite wonderful; without being heavy handed or unrealistic, they've presented a sororal bond (is there a gender neutral term for "fraternal"?) that has a genuine substance. They're not co-dependant, they have friends their own age but it's rather lovely to see siblings of disparate ages that aren't in permanent antagonism without it feeling like parental propaganda.

Of course every episode has a moral, but rather than being given a heavy handed lesson, I felt that I was just experiencing the conflicts that a child faces. It is narrated by Charlie, but rather than being redundant and soul crushing (like Peppa Pig) it fits in with the tonality of the series.

I'm not even kidding, sometimes when I have watched Teeth, of Human Centipede First Sequence, after it's finished I think to myself "Well that was cool. But I can't go to bed after that".

This show serves as a nice sorbet to cleanse the pallet from heavier stuff.

I want a Lola of my very own! It makes me wish I'd had a little sister. I don't know if kids will like this but once in a while, I do.

I can only add to the wonderful comments here so far! My 6 year old daughter and 3 year old daughter absolutely love it! My eldest is infatuated actually! She thinks it is absolutely the most best show ever! lol I have bought most of my books online as in Australia there is not a lot you can get from the shops. I think it is growing in popularity and will get bigger here for sure.

Highly recommended for all ages even my hubby will watch it! lol Beats all the other rubbish they have on TV! Seems to be simple and back to grass roots a little which in my opinion is just what kids these days need!!! Enjoy it!

I have been buying the Charlie and Lola books for my children since they first appeared.

Now I'm thrilled to see that they've been brought to the screen with every bit as much imagination, visual flair and originality as the books.

Everything from the theme tune to the children's voices is spot on perfect.

I have bought a DVD for my 3 year old, but my 7 and 9 year olds will happily forgo Tracy Beaker to watch it, and I'll quite happily sit through the odd episode too! Well done to the team who made it.

"I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny." These are the words that Charlie uses to introduce each episode of Charlie and Lola, a fifteen minute cartoon from Britain currently airing in the USA on The Disney Channel, but he might as well be describing the show itself. This charming, lighthearted romp, based upon a series of picture books by Lauren Child is about Charlie, a wise, kind and very responsible boy of perhaps seven or eight years and his tiny adventures being big brother to quirky, determined, demanding and adorable Lola, age five. A typical episode concerns Charlie convincing fussy eater Lola to eat the foods on her list of things she "absolutely will never not ever eat." Rarely do we see a depiction in modern pop culture of such a healthy and loving sibling relationship as offered here. Charlie may at times be exasperated by his little sister, but he is always caring and respectful of her as he gently guides her through life, and most episodes end with the happy laughter of two children enjoying each other's company. Technically the animation is not much more advanced than that of South Park (to which this in no other way can be compared!) but is more imaginative and finely detailed. And the superb voice cast of actual children (usually child characters in animation are played by adult women, i.e. Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson) lifts this up to a whole other level. Pure delight.