There are not many finer evenings than sprawling on the couch, eating popcorn and reading about Paddington Bear with my granddaughter, Charlie.

Paddington has been a favourite in our household since we brought home a bear in a duffle coat and a floppy hat for our daughters long ago. And so, when I went to London to report on Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022, I trooped down to Paddington Station and purchased a new bear just for Charlie.

It seemed righteous: Paddington Bear, after all, was famously a close friend of the departed Queen.

The little fellow represents much that a lot of us might hope to embed in a child’s heart.

Paddington is kind and respectful of those around him, for starters. And when things get tough or confusing, he produces from his hat what is dearest to him and of

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