If you’re blessed with a younger sibling, nephew, niece or offspring, you’ll already know about Charlie And Lola. Lauren Child’s deliciously lovely books feature lo-fi, cut-out illustrations, mad shouty typefaces, perverted syntax and are too, too giggly for words. But there’s another reason to cultivate a C&L habit. Because Lola - blonde naughty little sister and questioning pre-schooler, can teach us a thing or three about getting what you want. So here’s how to Live Like Lola.

Don't take no for an answer

Lola’s best pal Lotte has a darling new coat fashioned from fluffy white fur. It’s the fluffiest, newest, whitest thing you ever saw. Unsurprisingly, Lotte doesn’t want to worry about dull, boresome concepts like Saving It For Best. She wants to wear it on the straightaway. Even less surprisingly, when Lola says she wants to borrow it, Lotte’s not so keen. This, girls, is where we learn the power of NEGOTIATION. Lola has a nice new clippy handbag with a snappy clasp like what her mum has. And this is the carrot that seals the deal. Lotte’s coat becomes Lola’s coat in the space of about two minutes. Listen and learn, Apprentice-o-likes.

Say what you mean

The marvellous thing about this Lola, she says what she means. When she wants to draw, she says ‘I Completely Must Do Drawing Now’ (capitals are intentional, grammar-sticklers). When she doesn’t want to eat her salad, she says ‘I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato’. Mmmn. Marvellous, gorgeous, plain directness. This is a young lady who says what she wants and is unapologetic about it. And we can learn from this. Next time you get asked to do something like, TOTALLY BORIN, think Lola, and speak loud. I Will Not Ever Never Go To Your Brainstorming Meeting, for example. Or, I Completely Absolutely Must Do Facebook Now. Say what you mean, and switch up your syntax.

Milk that illness

While I’d not Ever Never suggest you ape a Dickens heroine and make like a winsome sap, one of the joys of feeling poorly is that there is loads of cheeky potential for presents and having someone fetch stuff you like. Lola is no dummy, and she works this. Which is why in I’m Really Ever So Not Well, Lola gets a big tall glass of pink milk, has her brother sing to her and gets her favourite jigsaw puzzle brought to her bedside. Replace pink milk for brandy, singing for soothing and jigsaws for Dairy Milk, and we might be getting somewhere.

Don't let randoms mess with your image

I hate going to the hairdressers, preferring to either cut it myself or sit it out until it gets too straggly to be borne. And the reason for this fear of the chop? I don’t want anybody messing with my thing. I’ve not spent years cultivating a bloody complicated mix of sartorial cues just for any old Francisco to wade in and ruin it with some uniform layering. No, Francisco, put the scissors DOWN. Lola ain’t no fool when it comes to her barnet, either. In My Haircut Sticker Book (long on stickers, short on story), Lola refuses to look like she’s just stepped out of a salon. Her hair is all tangled and it will hurt. I feel her pain, having had a variety of scissored twits yank at my tresses after Not Ever Never Using Enough Conditioner.

Diva that party

At Lipster, we are rather keen on our divas, not least the fabulousness of pop’s resident Einstein, Mimi Maria Carey. But Lola’s not far behind. In This is Actually My Party, she opens all Charlie’s birthday cards, blows out his candles and makes all his friends play her party games. Obviously there’s then a boring moral bit about it Not Actually Being Her Party, but we’ll ignore that for now. Watch and learn, this is how to work a room.

Charlie And Lola is on CBeebies at an ungodly hour of the morning and again after tea-time. But the genius BBC iPlayer lets you watch it whenever you fancy. Enjoy…