Christmas is coming, and Paddington has saved just enough bun money to take the entire Brown family to Barkridges store for a holiday adventure. But things don't turn out at all as Paddington had planned...and Barkridges may never be the same! Leave it to Paddington, that beloved bear from Darkest Peru, to turn a chaotic Christmas disaster into an unforgettable holiday surprise!

ANNOTATION

Paddington Bear brings the Brown family to a Christmas spectacular at Barkridges and ends up making a spectacular mess.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Michael Bond began chronicling the adventures of A Bear Called Paddington in 1958. Fortunately, bears don't need much encouragement and Paddington has since filled the pages of fourteen novels, a variety of picture books, and many other projects written for the young at heart of all ages. Paddington's mentor lives in London with his wife, Sue, and a guinea pig named Olga da Polga.

Christmas is coming, and Paddington has saved just enough bun money to take the entire Brown family to Barkridges store for a holiday adventure. But things don't turn out at all as Paddington had planned...and Barkridges may never be the same! Leave it to Paddington, that beloved bear from Darkest Peru, to turn a chaotic Christmas disaster into an unforgettable holiday surprise! Join Paddington Bear as he embarks on a variety of new adventures. HarperCollins Children's Books is pleased to announce the launch of an entirely new series based on the world's most beloved bear. With original stories by author Michael Bond and a fresh new look created by R. W. Alley, Paddington will charm another generation of readers eager to befriend the duffle-coated, marmalade-eating bear from Darkest Peru. In this first book, Paddington joins the Brown family on a Christmas excursion to Barkridges department store. A trip through Santa's Winter Wonderland almost ends in chaos, but Paddington saves the day, with a little help from Santa Claus.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Paddington is a bear with an attitude. He is anxious to take his human family to Barkridges's department store to visit the Winter Wonderland. He also wants to see where Santa makes his marmalade. The outing becomes a rout, but it ends well with the Wonderland spruced up, Christmas shoppers queuing in an orderly fashion, and even a jar of marmalade for Paddington.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2With all the British charm and bearish pluckiness one would hope for, Paddington takes his family on an outing to the local department store to visit the Winter Wonderland. It all turns out to be somewhat less than they expected. First, Paddington is turned away from Santa by a brusque store manager, and then he tries to fix a light during a disappointing Winter Wonderland ride and ends up causing a ruckus. The Brown family beats a hasty retreat, but the chaos turns out to be good business. Mrs. Bird smoothes things out between Paddington and the store. Even Santa gets into the act, producing a very special jar of marmaladejust for Paddington. The sequence of events is sometimes choppy, but the dialogue is clever. Alley's lively watercolor illustrations have a humorous cartoon flair. An additional purchase for Paddington Bear's many fans.