"I wonder whether it's just Paddington," he said. "Or whether all bears are born under a lucky star".

"Paddington Abroad" is Michael Bond's fourth book about the anthropomorphic bear adopted by the Brown family of London.

This is the most cohesive Paddington book so far in the series. It tells the story of the Brown family's vacation to the north of France. Rather than a collection of short stories, each chapter advances the tale of the vacation, as Paddington tries to navigate the bank and the airport and a fishing expedition and the Tour de France. In each case, the well-intentioned bear gets into and out of trouble in a humorous way.

This series continues to charm me.