Much-loved Paddington shares accounts of his adventures and his thoughts about his life in London in a series of letters to his Aunt Lucy in The Home for Retired Bears in Lima, Peru. As might be expected, Paddington has a delightfully warm-hearted view of the world while also showing great affection for his much-loved Aunt. Every letter is signed off with a Paddington paw print and they are illustrated with Peggy Fortnum’s original illustrations as well some new illustrations by R.W. Alley. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Sealed with a sticky paw! First class correspondence from the nation's favourite bear, Paddington - soon to be a major movie star!
Dear Aunt Lucy, I expect this will come as a great surprise to you, but not only have I arrived in England, but I have an address! I'm staying at number 32 Windsor Gardens and it isn't at all like the Home for Retired Bears...
This delightfully engaging series of letters from Paddington to his Aunt Lucy in Peru, follows his new experiences in London while showcasing his uniquely charming and hilarious take on the world. From stowing away on a ship, to working as a barber, there is certainly never a dull moment!
Rachel Denwood, HarperCollins, says ‘It gives me great pleasure to see Paddington, the iconic London bear and his creator Michael Bond, both of whom are dearly loved by all of us at HarperCollins, taking on the world this year with this beautiful book of letters and a major film.’
Michael Bond says ‘It isn’t generally known, but bears are very good at writing letters.’
'I've always had great respect for Paddington...He is a British institution. Stephen Fry
'Paddington has joined Pooh as one of the great bears of English children's literature.' The Teacher
'Michael Bond's accident-prone bear...has become one of the most enduring of children's characters.' The Bookseller
Author
About Michael Bond
Michael Bond 13 Jan 1926 - 28 June 2017. Born in Newbury, Berkshire, England he was educated at Presentation College, Reading. During World War II Michael Bond served in both the Royal Air Force and the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army. He began writing in 1945 and sold his first short story to a magazine called London Opinion. This experience helped him decide that he wanted to be a writer.
Michael Bond never thought of writing for children but, after producing a number of short stories and radio plays, his agent suggested that he adapt a television play for children. His first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in 1958 by William Collins & Sons (now HarperCollins Publishers). At the time, Michael Bond was working as a television cameraman for the BBC.
After the first Paddington book was accepted, Michael Bond went on to write a whole series and by 1967 his books were so successful that that he was able to give up his job with the BBC in order to become a full-time writer.
In 2015, Michael was awarded a CBE for his services to children’s literature, to add to the OBE he received in 1997.
In 1997 Michael Bond was awarded an OBE for services to children’s literature and this was followed by a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2015.
For the last 37 years of his life Michael Bond lived in London, not far from Paddington Station where it all began. He continued to write until shortly before he died on 27th June 2017, aged 91.
