2026 marks the centenary of beloved author and creator of Paddington, Michael Bond. To celebrate the special occasion, HarperCollins Children’s Books have published a hilarious and heartwarming picture book, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PADDINGTON – out today!
Written by Michael Bond and Karen Jankel, and illustrated by R.W. Alley, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PADDINGTON follows everyone’s favourite bear as he prepares to perform magic tricks at his birthday party and is full of silly surprises!
Michael Bond’s stories of Paddington Bear have delighted children around the world for more than 65 years and have received countless accolades. A BEAR CALLED PADDINGTON was named one of the 100 Greatest Children’s Books of All Time in a 2023 BBC Culture Poll and the PADDINGTON picture book was chosen by children as one of nine brilliant books in The Times’ World Book Day 2026 roundup.
To mark the start of the centenary, The Times’ Culture Magazine interviewed Michael’s daughter, Karen, who discussed her father’s writing and shared treasures from the archive, including Michael’s early correspondence with agent Harvey Unna, and cards from illustrator Peggy Fortnum. Archival items were also on display at Waterstones Piccadilly to celebrate Michael’s centenary year.
2026 is also the National Year of Reading, with the Go All In campaign launched to tackle declining literacy rates and encourage more people to read for pleasure. The Times ran a feature on how “Paddington inspires children to read 100 years after creator’s birth”, exploring the enduring magic of Michael Bond’s writing.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PADDINGTON is out now and hardback, eBook and as an audiobook narrated by Jim Broadbent.
For the BBC 100 Greatest Children’s Books of All Time, click here
For The Times’ World Book Day 2026 article, click here
For The Times’ interview with Karen Jankel, click here
For The Time’s article “Paddington inspires children to read 100 years after creator’s birth”, click here
