Kentishbookboy and Norfolkbookworm Read - 2020 book 3

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

As mentioned in the last post Paddington was Kentishbookboy's final read & review for his Year 5 reading challenge and one that I was very pleased to revisit. Treating myself to a chapter a day was also a nice way to spend some time not thinking about the current world situation. I'm about to check my shelves and the library eBook catalogue to see if I have more Paddington books to lose myself in!

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

Synopsis

Paddington bear had travelled all the way from Darkest Peur when the Browns first met him on Paddington station. SInce then their lives have never been quite the same...for ordinary things become quite extra ordinary when a bear called Paddington is involved.

Paddington has arrived in London completely alone after leaving his home in Peru. Once he is adopted by the Brown family we get to explore the familiar world around us from a bear's point of view as he explore life in the UK.

Dilemma

Paddington comes to England from Darkest Peru where things are very different and he has a lot to learn!
The Browns took a bug risk in taking him home with them as he was a stowaway.

It is hard to actually talk about a dilemma in Paddington as for me it was a purely comfort read, I suppose that the dilemma is of learning an entirely new way of life and coping in an environment that is completely new.

Morals/Themes

Family is a theme that runs through the book too. Paddington was very lucky to be adopted by the Browns.
Paddington always wants to do what is right but it barely goes to plan.
Paddington's friendship with Mr. Gruber helps him adjust to his life in London.

I think the best messages to take from this book are the importance of friends and family, or always trying to do the right things and importantly to always try new things with an open mind, even if they don't got to plan.

Recommendation

Michael Bond is very funny and skilled author.
This book was one of my favourites from the Yr 5 challenge. 5 stars + !!!

I'm pleased we read this one together, I read a new Paddington a few years back and was a little unsure of it as Paddington was doing modern things and for me the books are firmly stuck in that never-never land of the past. Reading the original has restored my love of the accident prone bear.  

I think that one thing struck me, and also Kentishbookboy's mum was just how much of the recent (wonderful) films was actually taken from the books!

Now that the school reading challenge is over we still plan on sharing books together by we might try a different format for the reviews, after all it is only a month until the sequel to the Umbrella Mouse is published.

Marmite or Marmalade?

Paddington Races Ahead by Michael Bond

I had a hand made Paddington Bear toy as a child - he had removable boots, hat and duffle coat and in my memory was the same size as me - I'm still pretty sure he was larger than a normal teddy bear though as he did wear my out-grown red boots.  I had a lovely compilation book of Paddington stories too.

My first real memory of the visitor from Darkest Peru was when Selfridges made their Christmas Grotto all about the bear - from searching the Internet I see that this was in 1983 and in honour of his 25th birthday!
There was a special book published to coincide with this and I remember loving the bit  where Paddington inflates a giant boat whilst in the shop.
It was only this year that I saw the statue at Paddington Station for the first time and got a bit overexcited!

I got excited when I saw there was a new book due. Unlike many of the recent updates to old favourites the original author is still in charge so I wasn't worried I'd be disappointed.

Sadly, as ever, reading a childhood favourite as an adult wasn't quite the same.

It wasn't that I minded Paddington getting into a muddle over Oysters or even having his fish nibble his feet, Paddington has always lived in a timeless place. It was Jonathan and Judy that hit the discordant note, and the talk of them wearing jeans that jarred for me, along with them being drawn much younger than the text implied they were. I think it would have worked better for me if they had grown up while Paddington stayed the same and the children were now their children...

In my opinion the best chapter was when Paddington accidently drops into Hamlet being performed at the Open Air Theatre in London, but anyone who regularly reads this blog will be unsurprised by this!

Once I put thoughts of old favourites out of my head and lost myself in the new book it was fine but all in all I prefer the originals and the original pictures.  I can't wait until my nephew is old enough to sit and share Paddington's adventures with, complete with a plate of marmalade sandwiches of course... I think I'll start hunting for a copy of the original TV series on DVD now!