Description: In 1958, a little marmalade-loving brown bear from Peru named Paddington was introduced to the post-war British public. Please Look After This Bear analyses the titular character's transformation from displaced Peruvian bear to member of a wealthy, upper-class West London family, raising questions about migration, assimilation, tolerance, and national identity.
Review Quotes: "A rare gem: a book weaving together the rigorous research and nuance of an academic monograph, with the gentle humour and readability of the Paddington stories themselves. A thought-provoking, timely delight from start to finish: a veritable marmalade sandwich of a book which effortlessly balances analysis of Paddington's enduring sweetness as a character, and the sometimes bitter, sometimes sour tone of migration discourse in the UK." -- Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, author of A City of Stolen Magic (Penguin)
"A compelling critical exploration of why Paddington - and indeed children's literature - matter." -- Darren Chetty, co-author of Beyond the Secret Garden"This is original and timely in its analysis of Paddington as a cultural icon, and will join recent work on Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and Babar. The figure of Paddington, as a refugee who arrived with the Windrush generation, allows the authors to bring a provocative (and often witty) look at the use of such icons in post-imperial Britain." -- Sophie Heywood, University of Reading