![]() Paddington is humanised, but he couldn’t possibly be ‘human’. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and doesn’t take kindly to the red tape bureaucracy of the sillier rules and regulations with which we humans surround ourselves.Īs a bear he gets away with things. Paddington is not the sort of bear that would ever go to the moon – he has his paws too firmly on the ground for that. “The great advantage of having a bear as a central character is that he can combine the innocence of a child with the sophistication of an adult.” The publishers commissioned an illustrator, Peggy Fortnum and the very first Paddington book “A Bear Called Paddington” was published on 13th October 1958.Īfter the first Paddington book was accepted, Michael Bond went on to write a whole series and by 1965 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. Michael Bond sent the book to his agent, Harvey Unna, who liked it and after sending to several publishers it was eventually accepted by William Collins & Sons (now Harper Collins). It wasn’t written specifically for children, but I think I put into it the kind things I liked reading about when I was young.” After ten days I found that I had a book on my hands. ![]() I wrote some stories about the bear, more for fun than with the idea of having them published. ![]() I took it home as a present for my wife Brenda and named it Paddington as we were living near Paddington Station at the time. I saw it left on a shelf in a London store and felt sorry for it. “I bought a small toy bear on Christmas Eve 1956. Michael Bond recalls in his own words how Paddington first came into being: At the time, Michael Bond was working as a television cameraman for the BBC. His first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in 1958 by William Collins & Sons (now HarperCollins Publishers). 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. This experience helped him decide that he wanted to be a writer. He began writing in 1945 and sold his first short story to a magazine called London Opinion. During World War II Michael Bond served in both the Royal Air Force and the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army. He was educated at Presentation College, Reading. He was raised in Reading, Berkshire, where his visits to Reading Station to watch the Cornish Riviera Express go steaming through started a love of trains. ![]() to escape Nazi occupation.Michael Bond was born in Newbury, 13th January 1926. In 1965, with six Paddington books published, Bond quit his day job to become a full-time writer, churning out more stories about the lovable bear until 1979.Īccording to The New York Times, Bond returned to Paddington "in 2008, to celebrate the bear’s 50th anniversary" with Paddington Here and Now, "in which our hero has his shopping cart towed and his immigration status questioned." That wasn't out of character for Bond's children's books, as Paddington was based on the British children who were relocated during World War II to shield them from the London Blitz, and his friend, Mr. ![]() That short chapter book would eventually be turned into a series of picture books for younger readers. The Browns first met their little Peruvian friend at Paddington Station in Bond's 1958 book, A Bear Called Paddington. For that reason, I've put together the 10 best Paddington Bear quotes that will always bring you joy. He will be missed, but the loving chaos of his most famous creation will continue to delight children and families around the world. I am sorry to tell you that the creator of Paddington Bear, Michael Bond, has passed away at the age of 91 after a brief illness. ![]()
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