“We’ve got you!” said Judy, gripping her father while Mrs. Brown held on to her.
They pulled Paddington out onto the roof.
“Are you OK?” asked Jonathan.
Paddington sat in the snow, gazing at the pigeons on the chimney pots.
“They are not having my marmalade sandwich,” he said dazedly.
“He’s OK,” said Judy.
Henry helped Paddington onto his feet.
“Come on. Let’s find Mrs. Bird and get out of here.”
“Not. So. Fast,” said Millicent.
Paddington spun round. There she was at the other end of the roof, pointing her gun at him.
“No!” cried Jonathan and Judy.
“Hand over the bear,” said Millicent, stepping closer.
Mrs. Brown stood in front of Paddington and folded her arms.
“No. We can’t do that. He’s family.”
Millicent laughed in her face.
“Family? You’re not even the same species!”
Paddington hung his head. Being a bear, he worried that the Browns would never truly accept him as one of their own. But then Henry stepped forward.
“True, we’re not the same,” he said. “And when I first met Paddington, I wanted nothing to do with him . . .”
He faltered for a second. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mary looking at him just like she used to before the children were born.
“But my wonderful wife opened her heart to him, and so did my incredible children . . .”
“Respect,” said Jonathan, bumping fists with Judy.
“. . . and at last, I have too,” said Henry. “It doesn’t matter where Paddington came from or that he’s a bear with a peculiar marmalade habit. We love him. That makes him family, and families stick together.”
“You go, Dad!” said Judy.
Henry raised his fist like a general, and with great gusto, he drew his speech to an end.
“If you want Paddington, you’ll have to take us all!”
“OK then,” shrugged Millicent, cocking her gun at his head.
Henry tried hard to keep a stiff upper lip.
“Ah. When I say all . . .”
“I’ve never stuffed a human,” said Millicent brightly. “But how hard can it be?”
Just then Paddington came out from behind the Browns and walked toward her. Jonathan tried to pull him back, but he kept going.
“There’s a good little bear,” grinned Millicent.
“No!” wailed Judy.
There was a loud coo as the pigeon from Paddington Station landed on a nearby rooftop. It seemed to be able to smell marmalade from miles away and would stop at nothing to get it. Suddenly, Paddington had an idea.
“May I have one last request?” he asked.
“What is it?” snapped Millicent.
“I’d like a sandwich, please. There’s one in my hat.”
He took it out and held it up by the crust.
“Go on then.” She rolled her eyes.
Seeing its prize, the pigeon rose up, flapping. Timing it perfectly, Paddington hurled the sandwich at Millicent, and a whole flock of pigeons descended, swarming across the roof after the crumbs.
Engulfed by hungry birds, Millicent stumbled backward toward the edge of the roof. For a second, she teetered on the edge in her heels and was almost about to fall when a sudden gust of wind blew her back. Whirling her arms like windmills, she caught her balance.
“Nice try, Bear,” she sneered, raising her gun.
Paddington squeezed his eyes shut and awaited his fate. There was a loud bang and a scream. He opened his eyes again quickly. A skylight had swung open and knocked Millicent clean off the roof.
Mrs. Bird’s head poked out of the hatch. “I had a feeling in ma water I’d find you here,” she hiccupped.
The Browns gawped at her, speechless.
“Why are you all looking at me?” she said as Mrs. Brown helped pull her out.
“Get me down!” yelled a voice from below.
Mrs. Bird looked confused. She weaved across the roof and looked over the edge. There was Millicent, dangling from a flagpole.
“Well, tickle my tartan,” exclaimed Mrs. Bird, knee-bobbing back to the Browns.
Paddington flew into her arms.
“Mrs. Bird, you saved me!” he said, as the rest of the Browns joined him.
“Easy,” she said. “Away with you. I’ve got a splitting headache.”
But while she pretended not to like a fuss, Mrs. Bird took her time to let them go.
Far away from Darkest Peru, Paddington Brown was sharing his marmalade-making skills with his new family. He’d given everyone a particular job to do, and they were all enjoying themselves no end.
Mrs. Brown was peeling oranges. Jonathan and Judy were in charge of pips and pith. Mr. Brown was chopping, and while Mrs. Bird sterilized the jam jars, Paddington stood on a stool and stirred the pot with a big wooden spoon.
“How’s it looking, Paddington?” said Mary.
“It smells pretty good,” said Judy.
Paddington waved his spoon in the air, flicking a sticky chunk onto his hat.
“Just one sandwich contains all the vitamins and minerals a bear needs,” he reminded them as Mrs. Bird did her best to clean the brim.
“So I can cut out eating vegetables?” said Jonathan.
Mrs. Bird flicked him playfully with her tea towel.
“He said bear, not boy!”
Paddington clambered down off the stool.
“There’s something missing. Excuse me a moment.”
He disappeared into the hall, returned with an item of footwear, and dangled it over the pot by one lace.
“That’s my shoe,” said Mr. Brown.
“It’s the secret ingredient, Mr. Brown,” said Paddington earnestly.
Henry thought about it for a second. He’d only bought those shoes because they were sensible. Now he looked at them properly, they were rather boring.
“Oh, go on then!” he said.
Paddington dropped the shoe into the mixture with a satisfying plop. As it came to a rolling boil, an intoxicating aroma filled the room: a delicious blend of fruit, forest, and family. The Browns inhaled deeply and swooned.
“Wo . . . w!” said Jonathan.
“Every family should have a marmalade day,” said Mary.
“And a bear,” said Judy.
“Oh, especially a bear,” said Henry fondly. “Paddington, where are you?”
He was under the table eating a marmalade sandwich.
“I’m home, Mr. Brown,” said Paddington.
A letter arrived for Aunt Lucy at the Home for Retired Bears in Lima. Seeing the London postcode, she opened it with shaking paws, though by the time she’d read to the end, she felt happier than she had in a very long time.
Dear Aunt Lucy,
Sorry I haven’t written for a while, but a lot has been happening. I was almost stuffed, but don’t worry, everything is fine. Captain Clyde’s daughter wanted me for a specimen, but Mrs. Bird threw her off the roof. She can’t harm me now because the judge gave her the worst punishment she could imagine—sweeping up donkey dung in a petting zoo!
The good news is I’m back living with the Browns. Mrs. Bird says everything is set to fair and it has had a remarkable effect on her knees. Judy’s embarrassment has cleared up and she has let Mrs. Brown meet Tony. Mr. Brown is making a rocket with Jonathan, which is great except Jonathan is worried his dad will blow the bedroom up using too much nitroglycerin. I have just heard a loud explosion but Mr. Brown is laughing and saying Houston may have a problem, whoever he is.
I’m so glad you sent me here, Aunt Lucy. Mrs. Brown says that in London, everyone is different—but that means everyone can fit in. I think she must be right, because I really do feel at home here now. I may not look like anyone else, but that is OK. Because I am a bear. A bear called Paddington.
I am just off to play snowballs with Jonathan and J
udy and afterward, Mr. Brown has promised me a ride on the back of his Kawasaki 850, but I promise to write soon.
Lots of love,
Paddington Brown x
Photo Section
Paddington Bear traveled all the way to London, England, as a stowaway on a ship. He arrived at London’s Paddington Station in a mail sack.
Paddington was discovered in the station by the Browns, who were returning home from a trip.
Mrs. Brown suggested that they bring the small bear home with them. She named him Paddington.
At the Browns’ house, Paddington met Mrs. Bird. She took care of the Browns. She also knew a lot about bears.
Paddington needed to clean up. He’d never been in a bathroom before. It was all a great adventure.
Paddington seemed to find adventure wherever he went. He slid down the banister in the Browns’ house.
He chased a thief through the streets.
Mrs. Brown took Paddington to meet her old friend Mr. Gruber.
He owned an antiques shop on Portobello Road. He had a toy train that brought hot cocoa to his guests.
While Paddington was exploring London, someone was searching for him. Millicent was the director of taxidermy at the National History Museum.
She wanted to add Paddington to her special collection of rare species.
Millicent found Paddington and convinced him that she could help him find a home.
She brought him to the museum, ready to enact her plan.
But the Browns came to rescue Paddington! They wouldn’t let Millicent hurt him.
Paddington had found a home and a family at Number 32 Windsor Gardens. He wrote to his aunt Lucy about his good luck.
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About the Author
JEANNE WILLIS is the award-winning author of several children’s books, including Shamanka, The Monster Bed, and the Dr. Xargle’s Book of . . . series.
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Credits
Based on the Paddington novels written and created by Michael Bond
PADDINGTON™ and PADDINGTON BEAR™ © Paddington and Company Limited/STUDIOCANAL S.A. 2014
Copyright
HarperFestival is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
PADDINGTON: THE JUNIOR NOVEL.
Based on the Paddington Bear novels written and created by Michael Bond.
PADDINGTON™ and PADDINGTON BEAR™ © Paddington and Company Limited/STUDIOCANAL S.A. 2014.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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ISBN 978-0-06-235680-2
EPub Edition © September 2014 ISBN 9780062356819
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