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Paddington #3

Paddington Helps Out

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A well-meaning Peruvian bear's attraction for disaster creates chaos for his adopted English family when Paddington saws the neighbor's kitchen table in two and floods the launderette. Reprint.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

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About the author

Michael Bond

637 books370 followers
Michael Bond, CBE was an English children's author. 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. Bond also wrote culinary mystery stories for adults featuring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites.

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5 stars
1,019 (45%)
4 stars
848 (37%)
3 stars
357 (15%)
2 stars
31 (1%)
1 star
8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
Profile Image for Hilary .
2,299 reviews460 followers
November 6, 2017
Some of the stories 3 star and some 5 star. We were really pleased to find this 1960's copy at a book sale. The cover is beautiful and Peggy Fortnum's illustrations are wonderful. The stories all follow the winning formula of Paddington, a bear who has come to live with the Brown family, doing everyday activities that he hasn't experienced before. The stories are all the more funny because you know things are going to go wrong, misunderstandings are going to happen and mild chaos that always ends up not being too bad in the end. We really enjoyed reading about our childhood favourite bear and have both been humming the theme tune from the 70's animated series for several days now!
Profile Image for Paul.
2,240 reviews20 followers
January 10, 2019
Book 12 of 2019.

More misadventures of the adorable bear. Paddington just can’t seem to stay out of trouble! 😂
Profile Image for Viktorija| Laisvalaikis su knyga.
165 reviews38 followers
January 7, 2023
Nors mano dukrytė yra mėgėja pažiūrėti filmukus, kuriuose yra meškiukas Pedingtonas, bet paklausus ar ji nori, kad iš bibliotekos paimčiau apie šį veikėją knygutes - atsakė neigiamai. Priežastis labai paprasta - joje nėra spalvotų paveikslėlių.

Ši knygutė pačiai patiko kiek mažiau nei "Meškiukas vardu Pedingtonas". Pastarąją skaitant daugiau šypsojausi ar net kvatojau - tiek daug kėlė teigiamų emocijų ❤️ Ši knygelė pačiai buvo daug "rimtesnė ", nors ir šioje knygelėje meškiukas vis patekdavo į tokias situacijas iš kurių reikėdavo rasti sprendimą, kad vėl viskas būtų gerai...
Profile Image for Katja Labonté.
Author 27 books261 followers
December 21, 2021
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Ah, Paddington. The appeal in his stories lies, I am sure, in the everlasting naïveté of this bear. Several of these stories reminded me of the ones in A Bear Called Paddington, yet Paddington never seems to change or learn! The humour, as usual, was excellent. Paddington’s struggles with dumplings, washing machines, and DIY magazine racks are all relatable, another reason why they’re so appealing! I rather missed Mr. Curry, who didn’t show up very much, but Mr. Gruber did, which was nice. Overall, although not as funny as books 1 & 2, it was an enjoyable third book to the series and still pretty humorous.

Content: euphemisms.
Profile Image for Sheila Beaumont.
1,102 reviews165 followers
May 19, 2019
More of Paddington's hilarious misadventures. I especially liked the final story, in which Paddington is treated to dinner at a fancy restaurant for his birthday.
Profile Image for Bill.
1,035 reviews178 followers
January 17, 2024
Paddington Bear finds himself having all sorts of problems when he tries his best to help other people. Another wonderful, funny & heartwarming adventure from the talented Michael Bond.
Profile Image for Luisa Knight.
2,933 reviews1,062 followers
August 11, 2024
Another charming tale about Paddington and the Brown family!

Ages: 5+

Cleanliness: for goodness' sake, goodness gracious, Mercy, Gosh, and Crikey are used. Mentions a man smoking a pipe.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
Profile Image for Emma.
73 reviews
January 20, 2024
These books are so wholesome, and the stories really make me laugh out loud. Reading them is such a good palate cleanser.
Profile Image for Keksisbaby.
959 reviews28 followers
January 18, 2024
Paddington lebt nun schon seit geraumer Zeit im Hause der Browns und davor war es sehr viel ruhiger. Der kleine Bär versucht natürlich sich als nützliches Familienmitglied zu erweisen und leiht daher gern mal eine Hand bzw. eine Tatze, nicht immer mit Erfolg. Sei es ob er nun versucht einen Zeitungsständer zu bauen und dabei den Tisch von Mr. Curry zerstört, bei einer Auktion unbewusst auf ein Zimmermannswerkzeug bietet oder sich als Haushaltshilfe für das erkrankte Ehepaar Brown versucht. Zum Glück enden alle seine Abenteuer immer gut.

Das ist mein neuntes Buch um den kleinen Paddington aus dem dunkelsten Peru. Diesmal ist der Bär eine Hilfe für fast jeden, außer für den Nachbarn Mr. Curry. Der ist aber ohnehin unsympathisch und verdient diese kleinen Missgeschicke irgendwie. Es sind immer nur kurze Episoden und irgendwie wartet man als Leser schon darauf, welche Katastrophe ihren Lauf nimmt, während Paddington nur ehrbare Absichten hat. Es sind unschuldige Geschichten für Kinder und mich heitern sie immer wieder auf, denn der kleine Bär ist so liebenswert, dass ich mir manchmal wünsche ich wäre ein Mitglied der Familie Brown. Auf meinem Stapel liegen Gottseidank noch drei weitere Geschichtensammlungen von dem putzigen Fellknäul auf die ich mich schon wahnsinnig freue. Man kann sich damit gut einen trüben Nachmittag auf der Couch vertreiben ohne missmutig zu werden.

Paddington ist nicht nur etwas für Kinder. Ich für meinen Teil habe einen Heidenspaß bei jedem neuen Buch. Die Geschichten kommen nie in die Jahre und sind noch immer so aktuell wie damals.
Profile Image for Christina Stind.
509 reviews66 followers
July 21, 2008
I love Paddington! This is the third book about him and even though the first is by far the best, it is still a very funny and enjoyable read. Will definitely have to find some Paddington books for my child when she's old enough.
In this book, we go along on several adventures with Paddington - we go for a picnic on the river with him, to a auction house, the cinema, the launderette and out for dinner, as well as see Paddington trying to cook dinner and - my favourite - Paddington as a do it yourself type of bear who tries to build a magazine rack. He gets the rack build - but destroys a kitchen table in the process... It's easy to get into trouble when you're only a small bear with paws... and it's very funny to read about.
Profile Image for Nina.
621 reviews15 followers
March 22, 2019
Well, at this stage I didn't think anyone could equal Stephen Fry when it comes to narrating Paddington, but it turns out Hugh Bonneville is up to the task! What a lovely performance. I particularly enjoyed the story where they all go to the cinema, and now can only mourn the fact that I am unlikely to ever see a theatre organ rise out of a floor. (Did they really do that in 1960? That is just SO cool!) To alleviate this sadness, I am practicing my Hard Stare in the mirror, so I can use it on anyone who is ever rude to the "young fellow, my bear". Onwards to the next book in the series!
Profile Image for Mark.
389 reviews12 followers
March 5, 2015
Another collection of Paddington (mis) adventures. in this one Paddington goes for a picnic, goes to an auction, tries a bit of DIY, goes to the cinema, goes to the launderette, tries a bit of cooking and finally goes to a posh restaurant..... all with predictably disastrous results. all of his mishaps are good fun to read and you can't help but be spirited back to days of innocence and youth. onto the next one....
Profile Image for Fi's Journey.
587 reviews22 followers
January 10, 2019
I like Paddington. He always gets either into misadventures or just fun adventures... either way he always gets into something exciting. This is part of him being a bear of course. So curious about everything.

The parts I liked the most were when he goes to the cinema (pictures), when he is making food for Mr and Mrs Brown and when they are going out for dinner for Paddington's birthday (at the end of the book).

Read as an audiobook that is narrated by Hugh Bonneville. I actually really enjoy his voice!
Profile Image for Em.
548 reviews48 followers
May 17, 2019
So cute! Full of the usual trouble and mix-ups, like a trip to an auction house. That was always going to go well with a bear who likes politely waving and tipping his hat to strangers.

Also includes Paddington visiting the cinema, eating a celebratory dinner in a fancy restaurant, washing clothes at the laundromat, going boating, and doing some cooking and woodworking. All things where nothing could possibly go wrong...
February 22, 2023
I simply love this book!!! Paddington is such a sweet bear and his adventures in London are always full of new things to learn and...sometimes...troubles...❤😁
Profile Image for Amy.
73 reviews2 followers
July 28, 2024
Who doesn’t want Paddington to serve them dumplings and soup in bed?
123 reviews
July 25, 2023
Amusing, easy read. I like that despite his fails, there are always kind people helping him get out of his scrapes. Definitely some facepalm moments. I do get a little irritated that his family doesn't take the time to show or explain things to him. A couple British slang words.
Profile Image for Jo Hurst.
626 reviews4 followers
March 24, 2018
I may have got these on audible for my children, who are loving them, but really it’s a great excuse to revisit my favourite childhood author. Very funny indeed. It’s just such a pleasure to revisit them. Wonderful and fantastically read by High Bonneville.
Profile Image for Roy.
428 reviews30 followers
May 11, 2024
"The hardest part with Paddington is not getting him into trouble -- he does that of his own accord -- but getting him out of it in a way that is morally justifiable." (Michael Bond"

"Bears don't have evening dress ... They have evening fur -- and Paddinton's has been washed specially."

This is a fun, pleasant read, watching Paddington Bear try his best to be helpful, but so easily distracted and often mystified by human society. We get to see Paddington discover the mysteries of the movies, the challenges of do-it-yourself, the difficulty of caring for sick adults, and, finally, the unexpected formality of dining at a ritzy restaurant.

Bond's writing brings the characters to life: the practical Browns, the contrasting demeanor of Mr. Grubbs and Mr. Curry, and Paddingtion, the forever curious bear, often certain-but-wrong about how things should work. Bond's use of language and dialect works very well to distinguish the thought of the characters, and to make me sympathize with Paddington even when I can see how the next thing is going terribly wrong.

This was my first reading of a Paddington storybook. I reminded me much of his much-loved Olga da Polga stories, but somewhat more fantastic (if for no other reason than how everyone seems perfectly comfortable with a young talking bear in their midst, as though that happens every day). I enjoyed it a great deal. FWIW, it can be read in an hour or so, but is structured to get seven good bedtime stories out of it; that's how I did it.
Profile Image for Kelley.
510 reviews10 followers
August 30, 2018
I somehow missed the Brown family during the first decade of my life. But I almost don’t mind because it’s so much fun to get to know them with my girl during her first decade.

If all you know of this bear is his iconic hat, you’re missing a lot of laughs.

Bond plays it just right. No one actually questions the fact that a bear is walking and talking (and cooking and cleaning and shopping). But the more refined members of London society are less than thrilled to draw him into their circles.

The head waiter at a French restaurant, for instance, refuses to seat Paddington’s group.

“I’m afraid the young gentleman isn’t wearing evening dress,” he says with an eye on the clothes-less bear.

Judy leaps to his defense: “Bears don’t have evening dress. They have evening fur – and Paddington’s has been washed specially.”

The head waiter is silenced, and the Brown’s party is seated.

Paddington himself blithely drifts through his days, bent on helping but leaving a wide path of messes and upheaval in his wake. Bond writes him as oblivious but even my 8-year-old can see the trouble coming every time. Her out-loud laughs made the book for me.

Every chapter is its own little story – the day Paddington went to the “launderette,” his first movie, dinner out – perfect for reading in its entirety right before bed.

And there’s the whole beautiful 50-years-old-and-also-British thing going on.

Mrs. Bird, the housekeeper, compliments Paddington on his efforts while she was out of town and Mr. and Mrs. Brown were sick: “That young bear’s one of the old school.”

Paddington is happy but confused.

But “when Mr. Gruber explained to him that it meant he was very reliable, Paddington felt even more pleased. Compliments from Mrs. Bird were very rare. ‘But all the better for having when they come, Mr. Brown,’ said Mr. Gruber. ‘All the better for having when they come.’”
Profile Image for Elisabeth.
362 reviews5 followers
October 25, 2023
Bedtime readaloud. Such a fun, delightful way to end our days together. My son’s favorite stories in this volume were Something Nasty in the Kitchen and Paddington Dines Out. My favorite was Paddington Makes a Bid.
Profile Image for John Bohnert.
543 reviews
May 7, 2019
I really enjoyed this Paddington book. I laughed quite a few times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews

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