Ho Ho Ho and Fa la la!

What better way to celebrate Christmas than with our favorite bear from Darkest Peru? Paddington’s Twelve Days of Christmas by Michael Bond, Karen Jankel, and R.W. Alley (HarperCollins, 2025) was just released in September and as far as we’re concerned, any new Paddington picture book is a special gift.

This story was actually first published in 1988 as Paddington’s Magical Christmas (art by David McKee), and then in 1993 (art by John Lobban). Now for this recently revised edition, longtime and current Paddington illustrator R.W. Alley has created brand new pen-and-ink and watercolor spreads that fairly sing from the pages with energy and pizzazz.

So what is dear Paddington up to this time?

One day while writing Christmas cards he overhears Mrs Bird singing — unusual in itself, but even more surprising since it was about her true love sending her a partridge in a pear tree. What a great idea! Wish he’d thought of it since he needs a special present for the Browns. But when he checks the garden, there’s not a pear tree or partridge in sight.

He then hears Mrs Brown singing that her true love had sent four calling birds, three French hens and two turtledoves — and another partridge in a pear tree. Paddington hurries outside again, only to find none of these things anywhere. What is going on?

And that’s not the end of it. Next, Judy breaks out in song. What was she given? Everything Mrs Brown received plus five gold rings! Wow! The Browns’ friend must be very rich to be able to afford so many presents.

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