More About Paddington

By Michael Bond and Peggy Fortnum

“Bears like Paddington are very rare,” says Mrs Bird, “and a good thing too, or it would cost us a small fortune in marmalade.”

The Brown Family first met Paddington on a railway station – Paddington station, in fact – and now he is just another member of their family, if a slightly unusual one.

As he says himself, “Things happen to me – I’m that sort of bear.” With his attempts at home decorating, detective work and photography, the Brown family soon find that Paddington causes his own particular brand of chaos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Jan 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9780007372850

Michael Bond

Michael Bond began chronicling Paddington’s adventures in his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, published in 1958. Fortunately, bears don’t need much encouragement, and Paddington has since filled the pages of twelve further novels, a variety of picture books, and many other projects written for the young at heart.

Reviews for More About Paddington

[missbrandysue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Paddington is found by the Brown family in Paddington Station, London, England. He's emmigrated from Peru. Paddington is new to England and has a way of getting into trouble everywhere he goes, though he doesn't quite mean to. His charming qualities and the loving Brown family help him with his "close calls" with trouble. A charming set of mischievous adventures in which each chapter is a new story. Therefore, I think it would be great for children who struggle with comprehending across chapters but have a higher reading level. I love Paddington and can't wait to get back to London to get my own bear in Paddington Station! (Oh yes, there's a cart selling them as soon as you get off the trains arriving in the station.)

[saroz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very cute; I can see why I loved these books as a kid. It's quite a rare (modern) kids' book that is essentially plotless, though; you could exchange the second half of this book with any other Paddington installment and no one would be any the wiser. The little bear's adventures are incredibly episodic! He has a child's logic, though, which is very engaging, and it's probably one of the rare examples of a proper book series built around the familiarity of "hooks," like a sitcom (Paddington's literal approach and love of marmalade, visits to Mr. Gruber, Mr. Curry's stinginess, etc.) - the sort of thing you often encounter in early children's storybooks, but rarely otherwise. That explains both the appeal, I think, as well as the age range of the readership; there's few books (the Winnie-the-Pooh books, perhaps) that are perfectly pitched at 6-year-olds: no longer the realm of picture books, but not yet the complicated realm of the children's novel. "Paddington" still holds up, even if the age of one-and-sixpence pocket money is now long gone.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I was a kid, we watched the Paddington tv show, but I'd never read the book. This classic story is sweet and funny and Stephen Fry is an excellent reader. This would be a great car-listening choice for families with young children.

[catym_14 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After his Aunt Lucy moves into a home for retired bears, a small and rather sticky bear emigrates from darkest Peru with only a suitcase full of marmalade. The Brown family discover him at Paddington station and adopt him, and the bear (now rejoicing in the impressive name of Paddington) has lots of adventures across London which generally involve leaving sticky paw-prints all over the place, knocking things over, getting lost, and getting into trouble.It's not hard to see why this is a classic, beloved of generations of children. I spotted this book on sale for a minuscule sum while I was doing some Christmas shopping, and (being without children to buy it for) decided to indulge myself and revisit my childhood. I was very fond of my stuffed Paddington Bear - complete with blue duffel coat, red wellies and floppy hat - when I was about 4, and re-reading the stories was a nostalgic treat.

[porch_reader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I was a girl, I owned a stuffed Paddington Bear, complete with hat and blue duffle coat. He and Curious George went everywhere with me. When the Bishop visited our small town church, my grandpa even arranged for them to meet and be blessed by the Bishop. That adventure reminds me of the many adventures of Paddington described in this book.This book is one of the [1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up]. I found a lovely 50th anniversary edition at my library (great drawings) and quickly found myself laughing at the antics of Paddington. As he states matter-of-factly in the beginning of the book, "Things are always happening to me. I'm that sort of bear."

[mslangdon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Part A/ClassicBond, M. (1958). A bear called Paddington. New York: Bantum Doubleday Dell.Paddington, a stowaway bear from Darkest Peru, is taken in by a family when they find him sitting alone at the Paddington Station, wearing a sign that states, “Please look after this bear. Thank you.” Adjusting to his new life in England, Paddington frequently finds himself in interesting predicaments. The sketched illustrations add to the reader’s visualizations of Paddington’s small disasters.Readers are bound to love the endearing character of Paddington Bear, and will equally love the innocent predicaments he stumbles upon. Another book from this decade is Little Bear by Else Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun little book about a bear who is more like a little person. He's silly in his serious explorations of England, adopted by a kind family with two delighted children.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up to read because my twenty-one year old daughter told me she still loves them and recently reread them. After reading it, I can see why. So warm and personable. I love the Brown family and their reception of Paddington, I love Paddington and his reception of life's experiences. I shall be reading more of these, books that make you laugh out loud should be read often.

[obsessedwithbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book continues from the previous book, "A Bear Called Paddington".Paddington is now firmly settled down in the Brown household and he is one of the family. So the Browns decide to give him his own room and they start to decorate it. But Paddington decides he wants to decorate his own room. This is the start of madness and chaos as Paddington realises how difficult it is to paint and paper the walls!In other adventures, Paddington becomes a detective, learns about fireworks, sees snow for the first time (thereby earning the wrath of the neighbour Mr Curry) and experiences Christmas for the second time.This is a beautifully illustrated wonderful book. This will stay on my shelf forever to read over and over. Highly recommended! :-)

[drruth_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charming classic about a peruvian bear who turns up in Paddington station wearing a tag that says "Please take care of this bear". He enters the Brown family and proceeds to wreak havoc in every imaginable way through actions as simple as taking a bath. A bear with a sharp eye for a bargain, he also has an enormous heart, but nevertheless always gets in over his head, just as children do. And he invariably gets in trouble with his neighbor, like a furry but well-intentioned Dennis the Menace. Essentially timeless. The first volume in the series and the best.