Paddington

Paddington is a fairytale about a bear. If you are a parent, child or a book fan you have probably heard this name at least once.

The bear was created by Michael Bond. One day he saw one lonely teddy bear on the shelf in a toy shop. He decided to give the teddy bear to his wife which led to the impulse to write his story about Paddington. The first of fourteen books about these bear adventures was finished in 1958. Paddington became a famous British cartoon character. Many children’s products carry the Paddington trademark including teddy bears and movies.

“Paddington” is the first book presenting the  beginning of the  bear`s adventure. He appears in unexplained circumstances in London, in Paddington station. He is than discovered by the Brown family who decides to name him after the station.

When he is found, he has got only a small suitcase and he only knows that he is from Peru. But he does not know, at all, how he found himself there. There is a small piece of paper with an inscription attached to the sleeve of his blue coat, „ Please Look After This Bear. Thank You.”

Mr. and Mrs. Brown have got soft hearts and they immediately decide that the teddy bear can not just be left alone. On the way home, Mr. Brown and the bear stop for something to eat which ends up in a big mess. Mrs. Brown takes their daughter Judy from the station and all together they catch a cub. The taxi driver demands extra payment for the strange, dirty, little passenger. These little troubles, if I can call them that, do not scare the Brown family. Finally they reach the house where Jonathan, Judy’s brother and Mrs. Bird are waiting for them. The teddy bear easily finds his place in the new home and after the difficulty of the trip falls asleep in the chair.

The book has a non-standard format, but with a soft cover so it’s great to take on a trip because it weighs almost nothing. The book has got nice illustrations and although it has a few  more sentences compared to our previous English books, it is easy to read because the language is not complicated. The cd with the story to listen to is attached to the book.

Paddington is a nice character. My son likes the story and we are curious about the next adventures so we will definitely go for more.

You can find a polish version of the book in a bookstore or in Znak publishing house. I recommend the polish version for small 3-4 year old children and the English version for older preschoolers.

I bought the book in Baja book, but you can also buy directly from HarperCollins publishing house. And here, you can find all the Paddington adventures.

Paddington, by Michael Bond, HarperCollins Children`s Books publishing house, 32 pages, for 3-5 year olds.