"Bears like Paddington are very rare," says Mrs. Bird, "and a good thing too, or it would cost us a small fortune in marmalade."
It's a good thing for lots of reasons that bears like Paddington are rare. Whether it is his attempts at home decorating, detective work or photography, the bear from Darkest Peru causes his own special brand of chaos.
Michael Bond began chronicling Paddington's adventures in his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, published in 1958. Fortunately, bears don't need much encouragement, and Paddington has since filled the pages of twelve further novels, a variety of picture books, and many other projects written for the young at heart.