A Bear Called Paddington

Please look after this bear. Thus begins the classic children's story, written in 1958, of a bear from darkest Peru, picked up by the Brown family at Paddington Station. Michael Bond's story is indubitably British, and Stephen Fry's Paddington is delightfully grave and proper, earnestly well-meaning in spite of his frequent misadventures both domestic and around London. Fry is facile with myriad British accents from Cockney cabbies to Portobello Road shopkeepers, and his comic timing and subtle delivery accentuate the book's sly humor. A welcome bonus: CD tracks are clearly marked, making it easy to resume where one leaves off or to locate a favorite chapter. Settle in with a cuppa and some toast and marmalade and queue up the CD player for perfect family listening. J.M.D. 2006 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

January 1, 2015

Gr 2-5-The story featuring the marmalade-loving bear was first published in 1958 by William Collins & Son (now known as HarperCollins). The classic tale begins when a bear from Peru winds up in London's Paddington Station and is subsequently adopted by the Brown family (humans from the Notting Hill area). Unfailingly polite and affecting a rather shabby charm-accomplished in no small part by Peggy Fortnum's delightful line drawings-Paddington went on to have dozens of adventures over the years, spawning more than 50 titles translated into over 30 languages. A Bear Called Paddington covers the initial discovery of the bear at the train station and his first few days acclimating to life with the Browns as well as numerous episodic chapters filled with humorous mishaps. More About Paddington continues on a similar theme and includes episodes of the bubbling bear attempting to help with interior decorating, assisting at a bonfire party, and celebrating his first Christmas. With a major motion picture coming out in January 2015, a whole new generation of young readers will be introduced to the well-meaning, but ever accident-prone, bear.

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