The Paddington Treasury: Six Classic Bedtime Stories

Paddington is simply irresistible. In this collection of six of Michael Bond’s stories about the charming but inadvertently troublemaking bear, readers get to enjoy the marmalade-loving, diminutive “Mr. Brown” in a variety of scenarios: when he first meets the Brown family at Paddington Station; venturing out to Buckingham Palace and Hampton Court Palace with friend Mr. Gruber and the zoo with human siblings Jonathan and Judy; and learning to garden.

This book is a collection of six picture books that have simplified versions of Paddington’s adventures accompanied by plenty of big, colorful, adorable illustrations. Bond also wrote more fleshed-out versions of Paddington’s stories in chapter books for middle-grade readers, which are wonderful because of all the great detail that can be included in the longer books. So those who are hoping (as I was) for a collection of the chapter books might be a bit disappointed that these are abbreviated versions of the bear’s exploits (it does make for a better, funnier story when readers get to know the fleshed-out version of Paddington’s first bath at the Browns’ home, for instance). However, Paddington in any form is bound to be charming, and this collection is perfect for read-aloud time with children of any age.