Paddington and the Grand Tour

45 years after his first adventure, the bear equivalent of Peter Pan, Paddington, is still going strong – getting into and out of trouble in his own inimitable style. On a gentle day out in London, with his friend Mr Gruber, and carrying his obligatory suitcase packed full of marmalade sandwiches, Paddington is mistaken by a group of tourists as a tour guide. They follow a perplexed Paddington Bear everywhere. There is nothing ground breaking in either the story or the full colour pen and wash illustrations. It may be a little dated but there is a comfortable feeling of reassurance with Paddington Bear. Bond has a winning formula which children like. So why change after nearly half a century?