Rosanne Tolin - More than Marmalade: Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington Bear

Michael Bond never intended to be a childrens writer. Though an avid reader, he was by no means a model student and quit school at 14. He repaired rooftop radio transmitters during the bombing of Britain in World War II and later joined the army. He wrote about the war and more, selling stories here and there.

One day, while searching for inspiration at his typewriter, hoping for a big story that would allow him to write full time, a stuffed bear on top of the shelfa Christmas present for his wifesuddenly caught his eye. Bond poured his personal feelings about the events of his erathe refugee children his family had hosted in the countryside, a war-torn country in recovery, the bustling immigrant neighborhood where he livedinto the story of a little bear from Peru who tries very, very hard to do things right. The result was A Bear Called Paddington.

An incredible true tale, More than Marmalade: Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington Bear is the first biography about the writer behind the beloved series. Author Rosanne Tolin reveals how world history, Bonds life, and 1950s immigrant culture were embedded into Paddingtons creation, bringing middle-grade readers a delightful, informative, and engaging book with a timely message of acceptance.

Copyright 2020 by Rosanne Tolin

All rights reserved

Published by Chicago Review Press Incorporated

814 North Franklin Street

Chicago, Illinois 60610

ISBN 978-1-64160-314-0

Library of Congress Control Number:2019955532

Interior design: Sarah Olson

Map design: Chris Erichsen

Printed in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

For Hal, Josie, Jack, Danny, and AJ,
life would be unbearable without you all in it.

To my Dad,

the only person I know who read

War and Peace just for fun.

I clearly recall my first introduction to Paddington Bear. I was eight years old, and my second-grade teacher lent me her only copy of author Michael Bonds delightful A Bear Called Paddington during silent reading time. Immediately, I adored the small, bumbling bear who tried mightily to fit in with his new family far from home.

Its no wonder Bonds Paddington Bear books have captivated readers for half a century. Never wallowing in his rather unfortunate circumstances, Paddington has charmed children and adults alike with his amusing mishaps. Even though his first book was published in 1958, Bonds endearing tales deal with issues we still think about today. Like many immigrants looking for a better life, Paddington Bear was seeking a fresh start in a foreign land. He arrived in London alone, knowing no one, but hoping to begin anew. The refugees fleeing to safer places were part of Paddingtons story, too. Even more than his favorite marmalade sandwich!

Michael Bond and Paddington Bear pose for a picture at the Menzies Hotel. Nigel Peter Todd/Fairfax Media via Getty Images

Many of the details in the Paddington book series are based on real events. The fictional bears story emerges from war trauma and remains as relevant today as it was when Bond created him in the 1950s. Bond, who died at 91 in 2017, was a young teenager in London when World War II broke out. Before the fighting began, and for months afterward, he watched German Jewish children struggle to escape the Nazis. Thousands arrived in England, leaving their parents behind. The British people promised to look after them. These children, uprooted from their homeland, often had nothing but a knapsack full of clothes.

Like many of them, Paddington Bear was an orphan. Hed lost both his parents in an earthquake. With no family to help, Paddington hid on a ship bound for England. Arriving in London with only a small suitcase (and everything he owned tucked inside), the stowaway cub stood alone on Platform 1 in Paddington Station. There he waited patiently for a family to adopt him. A tag around his neck read P LEASE LOOK AFTER THIS BEAR . T HANK YOU . The tag was a real-life detail Bond remembered from the war. Refugee children and evacuees sent to Britain wore tags displaying their names and ages.

Though he was just 13 when war broke out, Bond had seen news reels about terrible things the Nazis were doing to their own citizens. He knew these things were wrong. When he wrote A Bear Called Paddington 19 years later, he gave Paddington a warm shelter with a loving familysomething he wished for those frightened German Jewish children.

Throughout his life, Bond sympathized with refugees. His stories reflect the confusion of coming to an unfamiliar place. Immigrants need to learn new languages. They have to figure out customs that differ from their own. In a letter (from Paddington) written a decade ago, Bond protested the United Kingdom Border Detention Centers unjust treatment of young refugees:

Whenever I hear about children from foreign countries being put into detention centres, I think how lucky I am to be living at number 32 Windsor Gardens with such nice people as Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Mrs. Bird, who looks after the Browns, says if she had her way she would set the children free, and lock up a few politicians in their place to see how they liked it!

Fortunately for Paddington, the Brown family adopted the bear from darkest Peru and helped him adapt. Of course, Paddingtons life still wasnt easy. He tried hard to do the right thing, but often, he ended up making a mess. The trouble he caused always needed to be untangled, which is much of what made Paddingtons escapades so much fun.

Altogether, Bond wrote over 150 chapter-length stories for the books. Fifteen Paddington novels have been translated into 40 languages and have sold more than 35 million copies. By writing about Paddingtons adventures, Bond gave all those lost and lonely children from World War II a happy ending.

Today, Paddington is as adored as ever, thanks to the recent success of big-screen movies based on the series. The debut film, released in 2014 and simply titled Paddington, delighted Michael Bond himself.

Like his hopeful bear, the authors remarkable story begs to be told in this time of domestic and international unrest. Though details of Bonds childhood are limited, it was possible to piece them together using his own words. While some of the authors quotes in this book have been adapted to better fit a middle grade biography, they have been taken from verifiable sources. This book is a rare account of his life, with fictionalized scenes based in fact to paint an intimate picture of a modest man. Bond really did carry on lengthy conversations with Paddington Bear! In fact, Paddington was so much a personal friend and part of the family that, to this day, the original bearrescued from a store shelf on Christmas Evehas never appeared in public.