A Bear called Paddington (Audiobook)

Bond, M. narrated by Fry, S. (2005). A Bear called Paddington [audiobook]. 

Narrated by Stephen Fry of Jeeves and Wooster hilarity, this book is marvelous. Fry does different voices for Paddington, the Browns, Mrs. Bird, Mr Curry and Mr Gruber, even the shopkeepers and bobbies. The pacing and clear diction are easy to understand, even for small children who aren’t used to accents. And his comic timing is perfect. There were peals of little boy laughter from the backseat every time the Browns said, “Oh dear,” or Paddington gave someone “a hard stare.” The other volumes narrated by Hugh Bonneville are also excellent. After we finished the first, both the eight year old and the three year old wanted more, which is a good sign!

Checking the physical book out of the library was just as great a pleasure. Bond’s pencil drawings are darling, and it is always nice to see how an author has pictured his character in his own mind. Paddington looks charmingly disreputable sitting on the train platform with his suitcase, battered hat and his note, “Please look after this bear.” The image of him upsetting the table of buns is pure magic. With its mixture of pictures and short, clear sentences, I think this would be appropriate for a child ready to graduate from Cynthia Rylant or Emily Jenkins’ Toys Go Out and then Paddington. There are some vocabulary differences, between American English and British English, but these can generally be figured out by context. 

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