Who wrote the Paddington Bear books?
THE Paddington Bear books have gained fame and acclaim worldwide, with more than 35 million books being sold globally.
The Bear has appeared on television, commercials and movies since then. Paddington has become more than a character, he has become a classic British symbol.
Who wrote the Paddington books?
The author of the Paddington series is Michael Bond.
He was born on January 13, 1926, in Newbury, Berkshire, and raised in Reading.
He did not enjoy the school he attended, Presentation College in Reading, and left at 14.
He began writing in 1945 when he was a soldier in the Army stationed in Cairo.
Michael was in the Army until 1947 when he then worked as a TV cameraman for the BBC.
He first introduced readers to Paddington Bear in 1958's A Bear Called Paddington.
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Michael was inspired by seeing a lone bear in a shop at Paddington station.
The stories of Jewish refugee children arriving from Europe during World War II also influenced Michael.
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The label around Paddington Bear's neck which reads "Please look after this bear. Thank you" has been likened to labels placed on WWII refugee children.
Symbolically, the same words exist on Michael Bond's gravestone, which shows the extent of his heartfelt relationship with the character of Paddington Bear.
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How many Paddington Bear books are there?
There are a total of 28 books, released between 1958 and 2018.
The final book in the series, Paddington at St Paul's, was published one year after Michael Bond's death, at the age of 91, in 2017.
The last book was published 60 years after the first.
Are the Paddington films based on the books?
The Paddington movie series, released in 2014 and 2017, recapture the story of Paddington Bear for a modern audience.
Although the movies do not completely follow the books, the spirit of Paddington remains: the clumsy, innocent bear with a love of marmalade sandwiches.
The Paddington movies have gained much attention following the death of her Majesty the Queen.
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The Queen appears in a Jubilee sketch where she shares a marmalade sandwich with Paddington.
A tribute post to the Queen posted by Paddington Bear's Twitter account went viral, in which he thanked her for "everything".