IT turns out stepping inside your favourite picture book is every bit as magical as it sounds.

My three-year-old daughter Poppy, her little friends and the entire audience, made up of pre-schoolers and their families plus a few school trips, were totally enchanted by the opening show of The Tiger Who Came To Tea, in Southampton for this weekend only.

And I spotted quite a few parents, grandparents and teachers rather enjoying themselves too.

Sophie and her parents pop up in the audience at curtain up, introducing themselves to small theatre-goers, many of them waving paper tigers on a stick. They climb onto stage to get the show under way with a family breakfast scene, which differs from the book, but is necessary in an hour long show. All the additional scenes are very well done and even help the little ones learn to tell the time.

The youngsters were laughing out loud in seconds as Sophie's buffoon of a Dad, rather in the Daddy Pig mould, mistakes a tea cosy for his bowler hat and toast for his shoes as he attempts to leave for the office.

Sophie and her Mum encounter an equally silly milkman and postman before the main event when their tiger friend turns up at the door. The loveable, cuddly giant doesn't utter a word, but is brilliantly inventive in his actions as he polishes off plates of sandwiches and buns in one fell swoop before graduating to anything and everything vaguely edible or drinkable in the house.

We all indulge in tiger aerobics and an extended and strangely catchy song about sausages, chips and ice cream when the family are forced to seek out their supper in a local cafe.

The magic continues in the foyer when the children are presented with a free tiger certificate marking their first trip to the theatre - a lovely touch, especially if you're not too keen to shell out for one of the aforementioned tigers on a stick, at £4 a pop, or a tiny cuddly tiger for double that.

The show is a real treat for lovers of this delightful book.

LORELEI REDDIN The Tiger Who Came To Tea continues until Sunday. Tickets: 023 8071 1811 or mayflower.org.uk