A BEAR CALLED PADDINGTON

"Please look after this bear." Thus begins the classic children's story, written in 1958, of a bear from darkest Peru, picked up by the Brown family at Paddington Station. Michael Bond's story is indubitably British, and Stephen Fry's Paddington is delightfully grave and proper, earnestly well-meaning in spite of his frequent misadventures both domestic and around London. Fry is facile with myriad British accents from Cockney cabbies to Portobello Road shopkeepers, and his comic timing and subtle delivery accentuate the book's sly humor. A welcome bonus: CD tracks are clearly marked, making it easy to resume where one leaves off or to locate a favorite chapter. Settle in with a cuppa and sometoast and marmalade and queue up the CD player for perfect family listening. J.M.D. 2006 Audie Award Finalist© AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 05]