Paddington is more familiar to me as the 1987 or 1997 animated TV show, one of my favorites as a kid. Not sure which it was, but in any case I missed Tim Curry as Mr Curry, because children's shows are usually dubbed around here. For some reason my heart is happy about the thought that Curry is in a Paddington TV show (at first I confused Mr Brown with Mr Curry, which is a shame, because I'd like to see Tim Curry adopt a bear).

Anywho, Paddington gets his name after London's Paddington Station, from where he's found by Mr and Mrs Brown. The bear from Peru loves marmalade and becomes known from his duffel coat and big hat. Well-meaning but clumsy, Paddington immediately starts to get into all sorts of situations. Among other things, he wanders around a tube station, goes shopping, visits the theatre, and makes a friend. Despite his tendency of getting into trouble, Paddington is very polite, but also doesn't accept poor treatment or what he interprets as poor treatment, reserving his icy stare for the culprit.

Classics of children's literature, the Paddington books are integral parts of British culture and therefore very British in nature. London exists very thinly in the background, with only a few mentions of landmarks and locations, but Bond has a knack for capturing the city, or maybe the country in a broader sense, with only a few strokes.

A Bear Called Paddington is cute and innocent fun, but doesn't underestimate its readers. Although I personally didn't fall in love with it (considering my usual taste in children's books, I didn't expect to either, but that's fine), it's nevertheless a classic that fully deserves that title. Paddington has a heart and soul that is the essence of children's literature. It's "a pot of tea and a plate of hot, buttered toast", a long Sunday morning in clean crispy sheets with the sun warming your face, and a bun and a cup of cocoa in a messy Portobello Road antique shop.