Paddington Bear book series

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Just found out about this classic British series after reading about a review in, of all places, the Financial Times (a new Paddington book was just released). Guess I totally missed out when I was a kid, but I read a few snippets online and am already loving it.

The misunderstandings, wordplay and Paddington's in-your-face attitude are hilarious!

Is anyone here familiar with this series to recommend a couple of the books? It seems like there are around ten of them so I can't decide, other than that the very first one seems great.

[koosie]

Fantastic. I did not know such things existed to tell you the truth. I remember the TV program from decades ago (narrated by the great Michael Hordon) but Paddington was such a great character that I wouldn't be at all surprised that he comes from a seies of books. He was always so friendly and polite to everybody yet had a real knack for making any one trying to impose authority on him look totally ridiculous without seeming to realise what he was doing at all.

[jekylljuice]

Paddington Bear is one of many charming little characters with which I had the pleasure of growing up. My teacher read us the first book in the series back in primary school, and I went on to read a couple more by myself, plus I had a whole stack of Paddington picture books, a plushie and a Paddington view-finder set (you never see them any more, do you? View-Finders I mean. Why not? They're brilliant). I always enjoy revisiting books which I read in my childhood, and I'm sure that Paddington will get his turn eventually. I'm afraid that my memories of Paddington's adventures are formulated mostly from the indivdual stories as opposed to the books as a whole, but yeah, Frankie_4_Prez, you're probably best off starting with the first one. That way you can get a full understanding of Paddintgton's backstory.

Incidentally, last year in the UK the character actually became the subject of controversy - his favourite food, as even his most casual acquaintences will know, is Marmalade, and thus he was accused of selling out when he appeared in a TV advertisement endorsing Marmite. Meh, Marmite's better.

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Gotta try the Marmite someday now... I've heard about it in random places on the Internet, and seen it at stores here in NY, but was turned off by the (apparent) high price, roughly $6 for a tiny jar about three inches tall, and its mysterious dark brown color.

Upon researching more, it turns out you only spread a tiny amount over crackers or bread, so that $6 has gotta go a long way. Also, it seems to be very rich in vitamin B and nutrients, and is all natural, which makes it a clear winner over the sugar-laden fruit marmalades.

[jekylljuice]

Hurray for Marmite! (NOT to be confused with Bovril, which looks similar but comes from vastly different ingredients - whereas Marmite is a yeast extract, Bovril is a beef extract, so I stay away). I love the stuff, I even have a Marmite recipe book, which has opened the door to lots of exciting new ways in which I can use it in my diet. Though of course, I'll always be most partial to the most straightforward method of consumption - that is, layering it on toast and enjoying. Yeah, you are technically supposed to use it sparingly, I suppose because the taste is pretty strong, but I tend to be a lot more liberal in that regard - it's a taste which I can't get enough of, and as you say, it's full of goodness too. Too bad that neither of my housemates share in this passion - they both hate the stuff.

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Thanks for the tips, JJ! I got the tiny jar of Marmite today and tried it on some bagel-like bread (ate it right inside the store) and my first impression is that it tastes a LOT like the thick, sticky soy sauce from Chinese cooking (it is quite different from the more generic, free-flowing soy sauce). There were subtle flavors in there too, so I'll have to eat more of it before rushing to conclusions. It does appear to be a good base for vegetarian soup.

Also found a local library with around 6 of the Paddington books, and read the first one, and the first story of "Paddington takes the test". I realize what you mean now, that despite each book having a "theme" in its title, the individual chapters are usually independent free-standing storylines.

There are some nice (and fairly obvious) parallels to Foster's: The Brown's home is effectively a foster home for the bear; however, despite both anthropomorphic characters always getting in trouble, Paddington always resolves his problems in a polite and positive manner, unlike Bloo. Some of the interjections in the books also remind me a lot of Mr Herriman ("Well, I never!" and "I do believe that such and such...")

The best part I read today was in the 1st chapter of "Takes the Test". A quick summary of the events: Mr. Brown needs a new car, since his current one is falling apart, and Paddington volunteers to "paw signal" turns. However, a policeman disapproves and forces Mr Brown to retake the driving exam. Paddington is mistaken for Mr Brown, and the examiner begins asking him questions on the rules of the road.

Examiner: What should we be careful with this time of year?
Paddington: Strawberries! Eating while driving is especially dangerous when your ashtray is full of stems!
E: I was looking for "rain showers"... Now, what does this sign indicate?



P: It looks like a man trying to open an umbrella!

At this point I was trying very hard to control my laughter and not get kicked out of the library! The next few lines involve the Examiner correcting the bear, and the latter trying to explain, "Well, he must be getting ready for those rain showers you talked about!"

[Lynnie]

When us kids were "babies", my grandma started the tradition of getting us our first official dish set, complete with matching plate, bowl, cup and even flatware. I had Holly Hobbie. My baby bro? Paddington Bear. I had been familiar with a few of his stories before the dish set came along (at 3-4 years old), but it wasn't until after my grandma sent the dish set that we started reading more of his books. They were always heartwarming. And my heart always went out to that poor little bear abandoned in his raincoat with his suitcase, with nothing more than a little note and a jar of marmalade. He's been special to my family ever since.

(When my sis came along, her dish set was just a generic pink teddy bear.)

[jekylljuice]

Originally Posted by Frankie_4_Prez

Thanks for the tips, JJ! I got the tiny jar of Marmite today and tried it on some bagel-like bread (ate it right inside the store) and my first impression is that it tastes a LOT like the thick, sticky soy sauce from Chinese cooking (it is quite different from the more generic, free-flowing soy sauce). There were subtle flavors in there too, so I'll have to eat more of it before rushing to conclusions. It does appear to be a good base for vegetarian soup.

You're welcome, and yes, I do have a recipe for roasted onion soup which I use it in, which, oddly enough, all this Marmite talk had put me in the mood for the other night. So I made it, and enjoyed it as always. Meanwhile, all this Paddington talk is making me equally nostalgic to go back and read the books again. I guess I'll have to start raiding my own local library for them.

Oh, and if you're interested, here is the Marmite advertisement with Paddington Bear which proved so controversial last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eean1pNVkoY

[Frankie_4_Prez]

I was inspired by one of the stories to try making Beef Wellington at home, but it was 95% disastrous. Too soggy, so only the very last layers of the puff pastry shell rose (bought a pre-made frozen kind), and ended up cubing the beef into a stew later... bought the wrong kind.

Oh well.