Paddington's Guide to London by Michael Bond

Paddington's Guide to London by Michael Bond
Buy Paddington's Guide to London by Michael Bond at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Children's Non-Fiction
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: A brilliant idea! Paddington Bear has written his own guide book to London and it's excellent. Recommended.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 128	Date: June 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-0007415915
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Some things are just a brilliant idea. Young Paddington Bear has written a guide book to his adopted home in the way that only he could do it. All his old friends are there – Mr and Mrs Brown and their children Jonathan and Judy along with their housekeeper Mrs Bird and of course we mustn't forget Paddington's old friend Mr Gruber who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of London. So, where is Paddington planning to take you?

Well, he's going to give you a bear's eye tour of all the main tourist spots, from the ones you might expect such as the Tower of London, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament through to some of the places you might not have thought of such as some of the street markets, a few of the less-well-known museums and the places where Paddington likes to eat. Each destination (or event, as in the case of the Duck Tours) has a map showing you how to get there and where you'll find the nearest tube station. They have the look of hand-drawn maps but there's nothing amateur about them. I'd be more than happy to rely on them. The book is a paperback, but it's sturdy and will stand up to the sort of handling it's likely to receive and even has handy fold-in flaps.

Ostensibly the book is pitched at children but anyone wanting to see the main tourist destinations in London could do a lot worse than to use this book. The book would be an excellent way to introduce children to guide books and maps. All the information you'll need is there along with some background and it's all presented with a sense of fun, some good pictures – and a small bear working his way into each one and occasionally taking centre stage!

If I've a quibble about the book it's that some of the destinations are effectively advertised, with specific businesses being mentioned and pictured. Children are well used to advertising these days, but it would have been good to see a book such as this free of it.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Paddington was very taken by the art galleries and if your child is interested you might like to take a look at Katie and the British Artists by James Mayhew. If you would like an introduction to British history then we can recommend The Story of Britain by Patrick Dillon and P J Lynch. If you're coming from south of the river then you might pass Battersea Dogs Home – and enjoy Take Me Home: Tales of Battersea Dogs by Melissa Wareham.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Paddington's Guide to London by Michael Bond at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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