SAD though it is, it appears the long school holiday is almost over and with it our summer Talk PANTS! activity.

But we are ending with a special announcement - our first ever children's book, Pantosaurus and the Power of PANTS, has hit the shelves and will we hope help families have simple conversations with their children to keep them safe from sexual abuse.

It's a very special book designed for children aged five to nine with vital safeguarding messages at its heart, but made all the more extraordinary in that our journey to this point has been a real joint effort. The book was only made possible following a crowdfunding campaign that took place last year, which saw NSPCC supporters raise £46,440. I can't thank enough all those who donated.

Their efforts will help change children's lives for the better, as our Talk PANTS messaging, resources such as the new book and existing online music video help parents explain to children how they can speak out about anything that makes them uncomfortable, giving them the confidence to do that.

The book, written by Rebecca Girlings and illustrated by Fhiona Galloway and Jamie Nash features the NSPCC's yellow cuddly dinosaur Pantosaurus who is getting a new pair of pants and Dinodad tells him that they will give him special powers. Pantosaurus then experiences a problem at school and his super pants give him the power to speak up.

Actress Natalie Dormer, star of Game of Thrones and an NSPCC ambassador for Childline, will voice the audio book. The book will help children learn about the PANTS rules, aimed at helping to keep them safe from sexual abuse. From P to S, each letter of PANTS provides a simple but valuable rule - that their privates parts are private, their body belongs to them, and they should tell an adult they trust if they're worried or upset.

We've been talking PANTS since 2013, to ensure children are given this vital information, using age-appropriate language and a catchy music video by our dinosaur mascot, Pantosaurus. The video is available on our YouTube page and at nspcc.org.uk. Since Talk PANTS was launched, the video has been viewed more than 2.3 million times, sparking more than 1.5m conversations.

I understand some parents might find the idea of talking to their children about this topic challenging, but the campaign is delivered in simple language, suitable for younger children.

The book is available from Matalan stores or at Matalan.co.uk, Blakemore Retail SPAR stores or our NSPCC shop. All profits from sales will support the NSPCC. If children want to find out more, they can visit childline.org.uk or search online for 'NSPCC PANTS and if they're worried about anything our Childline counsellors are on 0800 1111.