Under a bright, newly designed dust jacket lies the same old beloved Paddington, the always dignified, well-meaning, but troublemaking bear from darkest Peru. Young readers will enjoy this reissue of the 1962 classic, which includes some of Paddington's best adventures (or misadventures, depending) in the extensive Paddington canon, such as his wild ride on a power lawnmower and his appearance on a game show, where his unusual logic wins him the jackpot. Paddington is, understandably, a favorite character for kids, one they can truly relate to, as his best-laid, well-intentioned plans somehow go topsy-turvy. As always, Bond's prose is fun to read, with the solemn, serious Paddington providing humorous contrast to the absurd goings-on around him. Peggy Fortnum's spare, evocative, often witty line drawings are as wonderful as ever, more representative of Paddington's character than the new jacket art, which makes him look like a cute, cuddly stuffed toy--a portrait with which Paddington himself would take issue. (Reviewed August 1998)

Paddington remains as ingenuous and endearing as ever in these short stories, whether he's riding a runaway lawnmower, trying his paw at taffy making, or appearing as a contestant on a TV quiz show. The seven episodes collected here are accompanied by loose, expressive pen-and-ink drawings.