Over the past few years of seeking out Paddington stories for my own child, I have found the newer R W Alley illustrations strangely jarring - this is not the bear that I grew up with. Biography: Michael Bond was born in Newbury, Berkshire on 13 January 1926 and educated at Presentation College, Reading. Despite Paddington and his duffle coat being quite so iconic, he has gone through quite considerable change. The illustrations of Peggy Fortnum are charming and took me right back to my first encounter with the illustrious ursine fifty years ago. He could have learnt a great deal from Paddington with his kindness, humility and high moral standards.

I’m thoroughly embarrassed to admit that this was my first experience of reading about Paddington bear. It had been a lot of hard work but he was glad it had all been worthwhile—even if there was a lot of mess to clear up. He was the creator of Paddington Bear and wrote about the adventures of a guinea pig named Olga da Polga, as well as the animated BBC TV series The Herbs.I have gathered up postcard images of some of my favourite Fortnum illustrations but it is wonderful to finally have them in one place. During World War II Michael Bond served in both the Royal Air Force and the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army. In 2015, Michael was awarded a CBE for his services to children's literature, to add to the OBE he received in 1997. To quote Bond further, 'Although [Paddington's] head is often in the clouds, he has his feet firmly on the ground and he has a strong sense of right and wrong.

This wonderful book is nothing less than absolutely delightful and I believe that everybody could afford to Be More Paddington. In 1997 Michael Bond was awarded an OBE for services to children’s literature and this was followed by a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2015.Featuring the wonderful words of Michael Bond and beautifully illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, every page contains an uplifting message or lesson that everybody could do well to learn from. Peggy Fortnum's wonderful illsutrations are accompanied by lines from various Paddington books by Michael Bond. I have read this by myself and also with my two year old; it is a gift to the both of us and one to be treasured always. Je suis contente d'avoir enfin découvert un morceau l'œuvre originale i Plus les illustrations sont très sympa. How to Be More Paddington is more celebration of this fantastic character's warmth than sincere self-help but it is incredibly special nonetheless.