Paddington by Michael Bond and R. W. Alley - Story Snug
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Paddington by Michael Bond and R. W. Alley

Paddington is a childhood favourite of mine and I was delighted to hear that author Michael Bond has just received a CBE for his services to English Literature. I met Michael Bond as a child and one of my prized possessions is a signed copy of Paddington Goes to THE SALES.

Michael Bond autograph - Paddington goes to THE SALES - Story Snug

Paddington Bear is over fifty years old and his merchandise has been available for many years, as a child I had a Paddington duvet cover and used to watch him on television. Another generation has now been introduced to Paddington’s adventures, he now stars in two films, both of which we love.

The Story: Mr and Mrs Brown are waiting for their daughter, Judy, to arrive at Paddington Station when they find a small bear with a label around his neck. They invite him to stay with them and name him Paddington after the station. After tea and cakes in the platform cafe they take him home and Mrs Bird, the housekeeper, tells him he needs to have a bath. Paddington manages to make a complete mess of the bathroom and after being rescued from an overflowing bath he goes downstairs to tell everybody about his adventures.

The stories are full of humour, Paddington manages to turn the most ordinary situations into complete disasters! In this first story we meet the Brown family with their daughter Judy, son Jonathan and Mrs Bird. The story sets the scene for his further adventures although Paddington falls asleep before he has time to explain much more than the fact that he has come from Darkest Peru because his Aunt Lucy has gone into a home for retired bears.

Paddington politely accepts the Brown’s offer of a place to stay but gets himself into such a mess at the cafe that when he arrives at the Brown’s house he is whisked upstairs to have a bath. My daughter loves the mess that he makes in the bathroom with the shaving foam and the bubbles. I love the picture of Paddington when he is leaving the station cafe. He is covered in cream, he has even stepped in it, and the waitress who has to clear the table is not looking happy! R. W. Alley’s illustrations are colourful and remain true to the illustrations that I remember as a child. He has captured so many wonderful expressions on the characters’ faces and I love the vintage feel of the page layouts.

After reading the story we watched the Paddington has a bath episode from the television series that I watched as a child. You can also read about the film and learn more about him on his website.

Age Range: 3 +

Author: Michael Bond / Illustrator: R. W. Alley

My parents still have my childhood copy of Michael Bond’s first book, A Bear Called Paddington. It looks quite battered, it was very well read!

The stories are set in familiar situations that are still relevant to children today. I really can’t choose a favourite and I’m enjoying re-rereading the stories with my daughter. Do you have a favourite Paddington story?


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16 responses to “Paddington by Michael Bond and R. W. Alley”


  1. Charles Paolino avatar
    Charles Paolino

    Two really adaptations were “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the 1935 film of “David Copperfield.”


    1. Charles Paolino avatar
      Charles Paolino

      I meant “really good.”


  2. Charles Paolino avatar
    Charles Paolino

    Well, I can understand that. Movie producers do seem to suffer from a compulsion to tinker with what has already been successful. The movie “Saving Mr. Banks” was about that, and the irony was that the movie distorted the very thing it set out to report — the relationship between P.L. Travers and the Disneys. There have been several film versions of Victor Hugo’s “Notre Dame de Paris,” and none of them were true to the story Hugo wrote.


    1. Catherine avatar

      I can understand that movie producers want people to watch their movies but when new characters and new plots are introduced it takes away the memories that I have of the book. One movie that I did really enjoy was Bridget Jones’ Diary, I thought that the screen version of the book worked well.


  3. Charles Paolino avatar
    Charles Paolino

    I thought the movie did justice to the story, which isn’t always true when children’s classics are put on film. Modern animation makes it easy to forget that the character we’re watching isn’t a living being.


    1. Catherine avatar

      That’s interesting, we started watching the movie and I felt that it was too Hollywood, I especially didn’t like the inclusion of the Nicole Kidman character.


  4. Stacie @ BeachBoundBooks avatar

    I have fond memories of Paddington growing up. He’s such an adorable little bear. Thanks for sharing this great selection. It’s perfect for summer reading.


    1. Catherine avatar

      I love Paddington and the way that he keeps a spare marmalade sandwich under his hat 🙂


  5. Julie Anne Grasso avatar

    We have not yet read any Paddington but must rectify that asap. Thanks for reminding me of these wonderful books and for joining the Kid Lit Blog Hop


    1. Catherine avatar

      We’re looking forward to the chapter books now. We started watching the movie today but for me it was not close enough to the original Paddington stories.


  6. Carolyn avatar

    We love Paddington! I know I watched the show as a kid too. The audiobook versions are great. We loved the new movie version. It was so creatively done, and even though it was a new story, I felt that it held true to the characters. 🙂


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s good to hear that you found the movie true to the characters Carolyn. I really must see it 🙂


  7. Kelly @RaisingSamuels avatar

    Hi, visiting from #KidLitBlogHop. We love Paddington! The movie came out this year, but our local library really showed us an appreciation with a Paddington party. Thanks for sharing!


    1. Catherine avatar

      I really want to see the movie, we haven’t seen it yet. What fun to have a Paddington party. Did you have marmalade sandwiches?


  8. Brittany avatar

    I love Paddington, and I can’t wait to introduce him to my children. Great classic series – stopping by via the Kid Lit Blog Hop!

    Brittany
    @bookwormtales


    1. Catherine avatar

      The Paddington stories are really amusing, it’s great when we can introduce our own children to our favourite childhood characters 🙂