Paddington Takes the Air: A Classic Adventure About the Beloved Bear's Humorous Misadventures for Children

Paddington #9

by Michael Bond, Peggy Fortnum (Illustrator)

Paddington has warmed the hearts of generations of readers with his earnest good intentions and humorous misadventures. This brand-new paper-over-board edition of the classic novel contains the original text by Michael Bond and illustrations by Peggy Fortnum. What other bear but Paddington could find himself sent home on his first day of school? Or questioned as a prime witness in court? Or taking a crash course in water-skiing? Trust Paddington to follow his nose for adventure, with a suitcase full of marmalade sandwiches in tow! First published in 1970,  Paddington Takes the Air is the ninth classic novel about Michael Bond’s beloved classic character, Paddington Bear.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Animals, Fantasy, Audiobook, Middle Grade

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 1970

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether it's a visit to the dentist, wrestling Mussles Galore, or ballroom dancing you can guarantee that Paddington Bear will take it all in his stride. Another great collection of stories from the talented Michael Bond.

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 5 out of 5]

More hilarious (mis)adventures of the irresistible bear from Darkest Peru, he of the hard stares and marmalade sandwiches. My favorites in this book are the chapters in which Paddington visits the dentist, decides to be a detective, is mistaken for a famous food critic at a restaurant, and wins a dance competition (thanks to a stray marmalade sandwich).

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another funny Paddington outing, if not quite as laugh-out-loud funny as previous books in the series.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10, no notes. I expect nothing less from a Paddington book.

[John Bohnert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paddington loves marmalade. I hadn't eaten any marmalade in over twenty years. So, I bought a jar of orange marmalade and had some on toast this morning. What a treat. Though I didn't dip my paws into the jar, I did get a little sticky. I used a paper towel to keep my paws clean.
I thoroughly enjoy reading about Paddington's adventures. You are never to old to appreciate this bear from Darkest Peru.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read on a road trip as a family. We love Paddington Bear and his antics!

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many adventures Paddington goes through in this little book.
He visits the dentist, and accidentally causes him a lot of trouble and pain;
Endeavours to alter the next door neighbour's trousers and ends up in a disaster which is worked out after all;
Rides upon a horse named Black Beauty during a competition to raise money for Judy's school swimming pool and actually wins first prize;
Helps Mr. Gruber fix up an ancient car for a parade and enlists a circus weight lifter to help;
Tries to find a mystery to solve and causes a ruckus in his efforts;
Is mistaken for a renowned chef and taste tester whom no one has seen;
And dances in the limelight as the center of attention at a Christmas ball.

Oh, how I love Paddington and his well-meaning ideas!! He is the precious bear from Darkest Peru- the only one of his kind.😍

[Jamie Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

More hilarious adventures with Paddington. Read this on Christmas Eve, it gave me plenty of laughs to relax.

[Fi's Journey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paddington Takes the Air was just as fun as usual. Maybe not as laugh-out-loud funny but still good. I always like to know what he will be up to next.
I liked the parts when he becomes a Detective and mistaken for someone else and gets all the food for free.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly old bear :)

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just complete joy, always makes me laugh and a prefect bear for these times.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paddington brings the usual mayhem but a bit less warmth.

[Rosanna ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read Paddington before - it's not something I grew up with. Therefore, I felt like I should read at least one of the books and I think I picked a great one to read! The stories are funny and the way Paddington thinks and acts often gave me a very whimsical feeling. I definitely feel like I understand why this character has become as famous as it is!

[Wintermote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful continuation of Paddington’s adventures with the usual characters. A fun adventure.

[Mr S Croucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Paddington book so much up are they by

[Deity World · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories again by the naughty bear

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lovely!

[Malcolm Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like this book's predecessors, this was extremely enjoyable and fun. However, despite all these many stories of Paddington, all of their stories are unique and are very memorable.

[Sarah Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normal

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good assortment of fun and extra implausibility. my favorite of these is the one where Paddington wins an event at a girls' school horseriding competition

[sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

rawr i love him. "big things have very small begginnings indeed"

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paddington stories are some of my favorite read-alouds with the kids. Perfect writing for a family that appreciates witty verbal humor. This volume includes the great characters Gay Cheeseman and Two-Ton "Muscles" Galore, as well as the expected encounter with Mr. Curry (reputation for meanness), chats with Mr. Gruber (buns and cocoa for elevenses), and the rest of the Brown household--along with plenty of hard stares indeed.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The summer I fell in love with Paddington, I bought and read all the books.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

listened to on youtube
read by Bernard Cribbins

[Jimmy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to Paddington - innocent, improbable Paddington - in college, when my assigned roommate turned out to be a huge fan. When she hit a bump in the road, I wrote to Michael Bond c/o his publishers, asking if there was any chance he could send her a note of encouragement (with all that hope you have in college) - and he sent her a personal note, as well as a response to me. It was such a kindness, which meant a great deal to my roommate and said so much about the man who could write about this little bear.

In "Paddington Takes the Air," Paddington encounters what seem to be the usual, yet improbable, adventures that just haunt him and turn the Brown family and London upside-down. As a bear who found a home with a loving British family after traveling from Darkest Peru, it's not easy to adapt to the ways of civilization, and in a big city like London at that. The most basic things - losing a tooth, for example - are huge events for him, and result in upheaval for all around him.

And sometimes he takes up hobbies - like sewing - that result in enormous disasters; even if things start out well, they just don't seem to end as expected - for Paddington or anyone else involved. And Paddington's favorite marmalade sandwiches have a way of turning up in the oddest places.

Bond published some 29 books about Paddington, most made up of chapters that are really short stories of the intrepid bear's adventures. I may never get to them all, but I won't stop trying. They're delightful stories for the very young (who can follow a story of more than five pages) or the very old who enjoy anthropomorphic animals interacting with humans, not growing up, and general innocence.

If you get to the real Paddington Station, from which Paddington selected his name, there's a statue there of the bear. It's traditional to leave a (fresh and firmly sealed) jar of marmalade.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My spouse saw me reading this and asked how it was, and I said, "Paddington just going around effing up everything he touches." Spouse replied, "Well, YES. That's Paddington's whole schtick! Also, he's from 'Darkest Peru' but doesn't speak ANY Spanish!"

So, basically that. I don't know if people today would tag him as "somewhere on the spectrum" (I don't know remotely enough to armchair diagnose anybody, myself), but he mostly seems to be literal, like Amelia Bedelia with a huge side of overconfidence in knowing about something just because he read a book.

That horse Paddington rode for the first time certainly would have appreciated more than "book smarts" (if they were, in fact, even that)... though it's both wholesome AND exasperating that Paddington, for the most part, seems to get away with his shenanigans (in this volume, anyway).

Four stars for what it is; writing and art is good, but I can't see myself reading another Paddington book (mostly since I keep finding new series and don't feel compelled to go out of my way to come back to this one).

[Onaczytanoca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ostatnio czytałam kolejną część przygód Paddingtona, czyli “Paddington na wycieczce”.
I jak to bywa z tym niesfornym niedźwiadkiem było śmiesznie, tym razem musiał odwiedzić dentystę czy poszukać stroju wieczorowego na przyjęcie charytatywne.

Bardzo lubię tego misia, ale niestety ta część podobała mi się najmniej. Czytając przygody tego niedźwiadka uśmiechnęłam się nie raz, ale jednak wcześniejsze tomy bardziej mnie rozbawiły.

Przyznam szczerze, że tytuł mi nie pasuje do historii, które przeżywa Paddington. Zaczynając czytać książkę myślałam, że poznam tutaj inne przygody Paddingtona.

Nie ma co ukrywać, że autor miał świetny styl. Niezwykle szybko czyta się jego książki, a język jest prostu i łatwy. Dzieciaki nie będą miały trudności ze zrozumieniem treści i na pewno będą się świetnie bawić.

Mimo, że ta część podobała mi się najmniej to i tak polecam “Paddington na wycieczce”. Ten miś jest tak uroczy, że ciężko jest się mu oprzeć.

[David Giard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I set aside my friend Paddington Bear for a year before returning to him this week when I picked up one I had not yet read.

"Paddington Takes the Air" is another charming collection of stories about the anthropomorphic bear who means well but always inadvertently causes trouble. In this book, he enters several competitions for which he is unsuited but at which he miraculously does well.

He enters a horse-riding contest and enters the ring with a professional wrestler. The final two stories tell of Paddington's invitation to a ball, his attempts to find the proper clothes and his dance contest at the event.

In other stories, the bear takes a trip to the dentist, attempts to mend the clothes of his neighbor, and attempts to solve a crime as an amateur detective.

Paddington was born in darkest Peru but now lives with the Brown family in London. His stories continue to bring a smile to my face.

[Oleksandr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Падінгтон живе у сім ї Браунів. Він веселе ведмежа, з яким постійно трапляюся пригоди.
Якось Падінгтон снідав і у нього випав зуб прямісінько на тарілку. Він віддав тарілку з зубом місіс Бьорд, а та скинула той зуб у машину для подрібнення сміття.
Падінгтон записався до стоматолога. А далі почалися неймовірні пригоди в стоматології.
Якось Падінгтон прочитав багато книжок про видатного детектива і вирішив ним стати. В одній із книг він побачив адресу дектектива і вирішив надіслати йому листівку. Коли він ввечері відправляв листівку, він став свідком злочину і вирішив його розкрити.
Якось Брауни поїхали за покупками і Падінгтон вирішив пообідати в ресторані. В ресторані вирішили, що Падінгтон якась знаменитість і він може не платити за обід.
Найцікавіша оповідь для мене в цій книзі, тоді коли він став детективом. Проте в книзі ви не дізнаєтесь,хто був той злочинець.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have quite enjoyed our journey through the collection of Paddington. It is rare, if ever, when a chapter doesn't make us laugh out loud or say "Oh no!" Paddington is a bear who can take the ordinary and make an extraordinary adventure out of it and like a cat, always land on his feet. This book included adventures in him going to the dentist, learning to sew, riding a horse, getting into a fighting ring by mistake, solving a mystery, eating to his heart's content, and his take at dancing. Another good book for the family library.

Recommend for:
- All ages
- Listening to audiobook as well as follow along to help young readers learn pronunciation of new words
- Anglophiles
- British culture
- interests in sewing, horse back riding, sherlock holmes