Reviews

Paddington Takes to TV by Peggy Fortnum, Michael Bond

neilrcoulter's review

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2.0

Paddington stories have been go-to bedtime reading for our family for some years. We've read through a number of the books--and multiple readings of favorite stories. [b:Paddington Takes to TV|218201|Paddington Takes to TV|Michael Bond|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347397203s/218201.jpg|1683207], however, is a different animal (well, yes, still a bear, but...). The stories were featured in a magazine about the BBC children's program Blue Peter, and almost all of the stories feature an appearance by the show's lovable (I guess) cast. This makes this particular collection rather a hard sell for an American audience. I at least know what Blue Peter is, because it shows up occasionally in the extra features of Doctor Who DVDs. But I didn't grow up with it and don't have a real warm spot for it. There are a couple of setups with potential (such as Paddington baking a cake in the camp oven), but in general none of the stories felt like [a:Bond|70993|Michael Bond|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1300303818p2/70993.jpg]'s best work. I'd say this one is best for people who have some nostalgia for Blue Peter.

One interesting note: this book features the first illustration I've seen of Mr Curry (there may be others in other books that I haven't yet read).

sb1999's review

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3.0

The kids enjoyed this despite the very British references they often didn’t understand. However, this was not my favorite Paddington book.
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