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katiegilley's review against another edition
My boys and I read this book at a pace of about 1/2 page per day, ha! I don't remember ever reading it as a kid, despite always being interested in Paddington Bear, so I was happy to finally learn his story. It's very British and very funny - highly recommend! But it's probably more interesting for children older than my two boys are right now (3 and 5).
bookish_capricorn's review against another edition
4.5
I've only known Paddington for 1 day and if anything happened to him I'd kill everyone in this room and then myself
natiperleggere's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
lovememybooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
cressreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
katykelly's review
5.0
An old-fashioned, nostalgic classic - the first Paddington book
I wasn't sure my son would take to this - we've seen the TV series, watched the film, read the picture book versions, but Bond's original chapter book is very much 'of its time', sparse on illustrations, with a lot of words needing explanation.
He surprised me and we managed the entire book, with a few complaints when I stopped reading for the night!
This shows us how the Brown family meet and adopt Paddington, and then several subsequent misadventures of the marmalade-loving little bear from Peru. He manages to get stuck in the Underground, get lost at sea on the beach, enter an art competition unwittingly, and even perform magic at a party and make himself disappear.
There are some old-fashioned characters - Mrs Bird who works for the Browns for one, Mr Gruber in the market, but the book feels all the more quaint for it. I quite enjoyed explaining things to my boy - why there are servants, or certain terms that aren't in common usage.
We both loved Paddington - he's like an accident-prone child, always getting into scrapes but things coming good for him in the end. There's no other in the book as well characterised as him, they are all minor, though I enjoyed finding their voices.
I'd say my son at 6 is about as young as you'd want to go when reading this aloud to a child, the language will be more accessible to slightly older children.
If you have a child who's enjoyed the film, this is a wonderful way to introduce a classic children's book to them with familiar characters.
I wasn't sure my son would take to this - we've seen the TV series, watched the film, read the picture book versions, but Bond's original chapter book is very much 'of its time', sparse on illustrations, with a lot of words needing explanation.
He surprised me and we managed the entire book, with a few complaints when I stopped reading for the night!
This shows us how the Brown family meet and adopt Paddington, and then several subsequent misadventures of the marmalade-loving little bear from Peru. He manages to get stuck in the Underground, get lost at sea on the beach, enter an art competition unwittingly, and even perform magic at a party and make himself disappear.
There are some old-fashioned characters - Mrs Bird who works for the Browns for one, Mr Gruber in the market, but the book feels all the more quaint for it. I quite enjoyed explaining things to my boy - why there are servants, or certain terms that aren't in common usage.
We both loved Paddington - he's like an accident-prone child, always getting into scrapes but things coming good for him in the end. There's no other in the book as well characterised as him, they are all minor, though I enjoyed finding their voices.
I'd say my son at 6 is about as young as you'd want to go when reading this aloud to a child, the language will be more accessible to slightly older children.
If you have a child who's enjoyed the film, this is a wonderful way to introduce a classic children's book to them with familiar characters.
dotreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Even at 40, it’s never to late to read a good book! I’m forever in love with Paddington Bear from now on!