Prince Charles has co-written a new Ladybird book on climate change, it was announced today. According to publishers Penguin, the 48-page book "explains the history, dangers and challenges of global warming and explores possible solutions with which to reduce its impact." The Prince of Wales is a longtime climate change campaigner who has received several awards for his environmental work. He co-wrote the book with Tony Juniper, a former executive director of Friends of the Earth, and Cambridge-based scientist Emily Shuckburgh. In recent years, publishers Penguin have rebooted the classic Ladybird children's books with a series of tongue-in-cheek editions for adults. Prince Charles's book, simply titled Climate Change, is one of three new factual editions which explore serious issues in Ladybird's usual clear and straightforward style.

The Sunday Times reports that it was Prince Charles who approached Penguin with the idea for a climate change book. "It was a coincidence, where we were thinking about a new series for adults after the huge success of the spoof books, but this time wanted some factual books by experts on science, history and arts subjects,” Penguin's Rowland White explained. Before Climate Change was signed off to be published, Penguin had it edited by a team of eight global warming experts. "They amended some of the more assertive language to ensure it was bulletproof,” White told The Sunday Times Climate Change by HRH The Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh will be published on the 26th of January.