Who doesn't love Paddington, right? I confess that I didn't read about him until just a few years ago. Of course, I knew who he was but I only acquainted myself with the first book back in 2008. I figured that I would be sharing him with my boys when they reached about 5-6 years old. Given the fact that it's a chapter book and slightly above our heads, I wasn't sure that introducing Paddington too soon wouldn't back fire on me.
But then! The library.
There was a series of Paddington Bear books illustrated by R.W. Alley that are absolutely perfect for where we are now at age 3. These books are stories taken from the Paddington books, broken down into "bite-sized" reading chunks, and delightfully illustrated by Alley. I was ecstatic to see so many from the series at our local library. What a fun way to introduce my little guy to Paddington. Furthermore - I was not disappointed. He LOVED them and sat through each book - even though they are longer story books than what we are used to.
I would probably peg these books to be for ages 5-8, but at 3 1/2 my son enjoyed them just fine. Each story is a little long, but since the story is illustrated with color full-page spreads, he had plenty to look at as I read along.
I know we aren't quite ready for Paddington as a chapter book, but these books definitely help to whet the appetite and familiarized my son with this lovable bear from the darkest Peru.
I'm a huge fan of these books and, if you haven't seen them for yourself, I'd heartily recommend them. These books went on my Amazon wish list. I'd love to add them to our home library! (See, that's one of the beauties and the hardships for me in going to the library. Sure, I weed through the books and dismiss the ones I'm not as fond of. On the other hand, I find all of these great books and fascinating new titles that I want to own for ourselves. Confessions of a Book-a-holic. I'll need to invest in some new bookshelves in the near future here.)
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