This from a news release....

"Michael Bond, the creator of children's literary character Paddington Bear, died on Tuesday aged 91 following a short illness, publisher HarperCollins said. First appearing in the 1958 story A Bear called Paddington, the character was named after the London railway station where he was found, having  arrived from 'deepest, darkest Peru' according to Bond's famous description. The bear was wearing a tag around his neck that read 'Please look after this bear.'
He has been enjoyed by generations of children, with more than 35 million books sold, the publisher said on Wednesday."

I never read these stories as a child, perhaps because the first story came out when I was eleven, and I was already reading well above my age group. But as I am in charge of books at the hospice resale store where I volunteer, I place many of the Paddington books on the shelves for the enjoyment of today's children.