Paddles! The Huggable Polar Bear

Paddles and Bracken and all the new pupils are feeling nervous and anxious - its’ their first day of school. An over confident Fagan bosses it in an impromptu game of Gaelic Football. Miss Hoot the Teacher and Uncle Liam the Head Master put the pupils into pairs in class and to their dismay Paddles and Fagan are put together - it looks like they have nothing in common. It’s going to be a long day. Paddles discovers that Fagan is nervous too, and finds the toy that Fagan made and then lost. Everyone is impressed with Fagan’s inventiveness. Fagan is relieved and at the end of the day everyone else is also. They’ve all made new friends and had a great day. Same time tomorrow then?

Paddles wants to play but despite an extensive search of Drumsna for a play mate and something to do everyone is too busy. Hhhmmm, what’s going on? Bracken and Bridie eventually provide a welcome diversion in the form of a game of trust involving Paddles and a blindfold, and lead him to the Village Hall. Surprise! The hall is full of friends and balloons, and there’s a mouthwatering celebratory spread laid out too – happy ‘home day’ Paddles (much more exclusive than a birthday!) so glad you came into our lives!

PADDLES and BRACKEN investigate mysterious activity at the village school which the OLD MOORHEN tells them is the work of the ‘little people’ who’re annoyed that the school has been built over their very own ‘fairy-road.’

"The Harvest festival is on and Paddles, Bracken and Bridie help Mr and Mrs Wolfie in the vegetable garden. Once the vegetables are collected Mrs Wolfie sends Paddles, Bracken and Bridie off to pick “wild blackberries” so that she can make her famous Blackberry Pie. Fagan plots to steal the blackberries that the intrepid friends pick. Fagan picks 3 blackberry bushes and then hides himself in the best fitting one, so that he becomes a mobile blackberry bush. Fagan using his disguise follows the three friends as they pick blackberries and Fagan eats as they pick, unbeknownst to the friends. Paddles meanwhile is enjoying his blackberries so much that he fantasises about swimming and diving in blackberries - this enables Fagan to steal more. Paddles eats so many blackberries that he keels over with Blackberry Stomach. Fagan falls into a Bunch of nettles and is uncovered when he squeals with pain. The friends come to his rescue and find a soothing dockleaf.

"It’s winter, and peak sledging time – a sport at which Paddles excels! He helps his friends sledge and keep warm as well by inventing a sledging game; he tows everyone’s sledges up the hill and toboggans down on his tummy, towing all behind! The friends explain to Paddles that cold winter nights mean it’s ceilidh time, and everyone helps prepare for a ceilidh at the Wolfie house. But as the big night arrives there’s yet more snow, and it’s even colder – how will everyone get to the ceilidh? Paddles and his sledging ceilidh cart to the rescue!"

After making a rocket at school, everyone decides to play a space game in the Woods, but Charlotte finds it boring and would much rather practice her dancing. Mr Wolfie finds an old telescope, and at night time they spot a shooting star. Everyone makes a wish – but soon Charlotte is regretting her wish that something exciting would happen in Drumsnella when lots of strange things start to happen. Crop circles, all manner of things disappearing, and what are those lights and noises coming from the woods? Arrgh! The aliens have landed, and they’ve taken Fergal and Fergus, or has Fagan got something to do with this…..?

The school children are putting on a play and Charlotte decides because she’s the best performer she should have all the important roles. Paddles doesn’t think he’s good enough to play anything, so Charlotte decides he can be a stage hand and dishes out an ever increasing list of jobs for him to do. The dress rehearsal is a disaster, and Paddles is very down cast – it’s all his fault. On the day of the performance more disaster strikes – Charlotte has lost her voice. Oh no, who knows all her parts and can step in to save the day? Paddles discovers his inner strength just in the nick of time!

World wide singing sensation Spaniel O’Connell visits his home town of Drumsnella, and this gives Fagan and Bracken an idea: Lightning can strike twice – let’s form a band and be rich and famous! There’s just one small problem; neither can sing a note, and their tuneless rehearsals give everyone an earbashing. Meanwhile, poor Paddles misses hanging around with his best friend. A conversation with Spaniel means it’s Paddles that grabs the headlines instead.

Charlotte is downcast when her kite zooms off and a trip to the woods for a camp out doesn’t lift her spirits. Bracken declares himself King of the Woods, but Fagan sets up a rival camp where he can issue Kingly edicts instead of doing the hard graft of den building. Alas he discovers the hard way that his den is not rain-proof, and the woods can be spooky on a wet winters night; Who can solve the puzzle of the ghost and the dragon in the trees and cheer Charlotte up in the process?

It’s the summer holidays and Paddles, Bracken and Bridie build a pirate raft to explore the river. Bracken and Bridie take charge, and poor Paddles is left to do all the hard work. Seamus and Oscar decide to scupper their game, and a daring pirate chase on the river ensues. Alas the baddie pirates have to endure the rapids. Paddles, Bracken and Bridie lose their raft and are marooned on an island in the river but are they alone? They discover an abandoned camp, but where is the treasure? Paddles earns himself a promotion to Captain, and returns triumphantly up river!

It’s the summer holidays and Paddles, Bracken and Bridie build a pirate raft to explore the river. Bracken and Bridie take charge, and poor Paddles is left to do all the hard work. Seamus and Oscar decide to scupper their game, and a daring pirate chase on the river ensues. Alas the baddie pirates have to endure the rapids. Paddles, Bracken and Bridie lose their raft and are marooned on an island in the river but are they alone? They discover an abandoned camp, but where is the treasure? Paddles earns himself a promotion to Captain, and returns triumphantly up river!

Mrs Twigg is unwell with a dose of the sniffles and leaves Fergus and Fergal in charge of running the shop and their recently introduced “home delivery service”. But the demands soon start to get a little too much for Fergal and Fergus to cope with. Paddles and Bracken arrive, note the chaos, and offer to help the twins with their home delivery service. But when the errand boys decide to customise their delivery vehicle, things quickly go from bad to worse.

In the classroom, MISS HOOT is reminding the class that tomorrow is ‘Show and Tell’ and the pupils must bring in something interesting to show the class. The most interesting exhibit will have pride of place on the ‘Nature Table’. The competition is on! PADDLES wants to find something exciting for the ‘Show and Tell’ session at school but nothing seems to go his way until his star-gazing pays off...