I was interested in reading this set of three Paddington stories because he is one of the most enjoyed children's book characters ever, but I had never read any Paddington books before.
Michael Bond has been writing these books since the late 1950s, and you can tell. I found the books a little hard to get into at first, but soon I got used to the style of writing and the way the characters spoke, and couldn't stop reading. The three books in this set are Paddington Goes to Town, Paddington Takes the Air and Paddington on Top. Paddington is a talking bear who wears clothes. Nobody seems surprised that he is … ahem … a BEAR.

He lives with the Brown family who treat him like their own son. In these books he mentions that he is from darkest Peru. He is courteous but clumsy, and the most loveable bear you'll ever meet.
Each book has seven chapters, each of them telling a separate story. This works well because you can read each story and enjoy it on its own. My favourite was Paddington and the 'Finishing Touch' where Paddington wants to find a nice statue to put in his garden, so he goes to the ornament store. When he gets there a pair of little lions take his fancy, but he is shocked when he discovers how expensive they are. In the end he goes home quite happy with his purchase for 40 pence – a small boulder. Not a lot happens in these stories but they are nice and funny, and good for a little light reading.

I rate this book 7½ out of 10, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys short stories about misunderstandings and funny mysteries.

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