A Bear Called Paddington Book

"Mum, do you remember when we read aloud each night?"

How many years did we spend, my three children and I, unwinding after a day of toddler, preschool or primary school adventures, by reading for an hour and a half together, cuddled up in a mess of arms and legs and stacks of books for different tastes and levels of understanding?

Remembering those days fills me with inner exhaustion and absolute bliss at the same time. There were a few books that caught all children's interests at once while being enjoyable for me as well (like all of Astrid Lindgren's books, or Momo, or Narnia, or Oliver Twist, or Tom Sawyer), but rarely did I get the full attention of all three as long as when we read about the illegal immigrant Paddington, who stood out as different the moment he appeared at Paddington Station with a sign attached to his jacket: "Please look after this bear!"

Are there still people like the Browns in the world, who are willing to accept diversity and strangeness, clumsiness and innumerable breaches of the conventional codes of conduct to engage with a lovable bear like Paddington - a bear who needs taking care of for sure, but who also adds incredible value to every situation he participates in?

Shouldn't we read Paddington aloud again to our current politicians, who seem to have forgotten that empathy is the start of a good life, and that giving is the road to receiving joy?

Please take care of the Paddingtons of the world, and you will get more than the Bear Necessities back!