While I am somewhat convinced that Paddington is English Amelia Bedelia, this was still a wonderfully charming and odd read in a very difficult time.

I loved the Paddington books, as a child. My imagination was captured by these stories of the orphaned bear found in a London railway station, who makes his home with the Brown family and their housekeeper Mrs Bird. Each book consists of a series of stories about the small bear, who gets himself into difficult situations, often due to misunderstandings or over-enthusiasm.

This book is eighth or ninth in the series but it's not necessary to have read any others. This one begins with Paddington being an usher at a friend’s wedding, rather to his family’s surprise. Further chapters see him trying to play golf, being mistaken for a foreign doctor, helping his best friend Mr Gruber to finish touch on his patio, and going carol singing. The stories are light but amusing; written for children of perhaps eight to ten years old, they’re not condescending and never use ‘simple’ language.

This would make an ideal bedtime read-aloud for any child from the age of about five and upwards. It appeals to both boys and girls, and if the conversation and events seem dated at times, they could provide a good starting point for discussions about life in the 1960s for an upper-middle class English family.

Four and a half stars, really. ( )

This volume includes some of Paddington's best adventures (or misadventures, depending) in the extensive Paddington canon, such as his wild ride on a power lawnmower and his appearance on a game show, where his unusual logic wins him the jackpot. Paddington is, understandably, a favorite character for children, one they can relate to, as his best-laid, well-intentioned plans somehow go topsy-turvy. As always, Bond's prose is fun to read, with the solemn, serious Paddington providing humourous contrast to the absurd goings-on around him. Peggy Fortnum's spare, evocative, often witty line drawings are as wonderful as ever.

There’s been no end to the chaos at 32 Windsor Gardens since Paddington, that irresistible bear from Darkest Peru, joined the Brown family. Even Mrs. Bird, the housekeeper, has learned that there’s no knowing what’s likely to happen when he’s around. Well meaning as ever, Paddington’s at it again, and this time he really goes to town. If a boulder rolls down the aisle of a bus, sending the entire carload careening; if a visitor to the hospital leaves even the staff psychiatrist baffled; or if a hostess discovers her surprise dessert is “baked elastic,” you can be sure that Paddington is somewhere close at hand. Paddington fans will be delighted as, once more, that bear turns things merrily, unpredictably topsy-turvy. ( )