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Amelia Bedelia #1
Amelia Bedelia
From dressing the chicken to dusting the furniture, Amelia Bedelia does exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Rogers tell her. ...But somehow things never turn out quite right.
63 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
306 people are currently reading
22906 people want to read
About the author
Peggy Parish
149 books769 followersPeggy Parish was the author of the children's story series Amelia Bedelia. The series was continued, after her sudden death from an aneurysm, by her nephew Herman Parish. Peggy attended the University of South Carolina and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Herman honored Peggy's life in his book, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia, by writing in its dedication: "For Peggy Parish, the real Amelia Bedelia."
-Wikipedia
Herman honored Peggy's life in his book, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia, by writing in its dedication: "For Peggy Parish, the real Amelia Bedelia."
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,343 reviews
July 25, 2021
So, I was strolling through Barnes and Noble with my daughter, looking for a new story time book. We usually have a system to this; as it is a big treat to go to book store, usually she picks out a book and I pick out one. This way whatever her current interest is, she can keep it going and I can pick out something that (a) won't frustrait me to reread over and over and also (b) sometimes recapture something I remember reading as a child or at least pick something that I think may make her think a bit more than some of her choices.
I saw this book sitting there. The 50th anniversary edition with the original artwork and I was instantly transported back. When I was a kid this was one of my favorite books. I loved how the character took every word literally, and while it was very funny, it ingrained in kid Tim a knowledge that words could be taken multiple ways (something of a complex thought at 3 or 4). I had never seen the original artwork, and while it wasn't what I remembered, I found it charming and of course picked it up.
That night at story time, my daughter instantly went for the book she chose. That's fine, I expected it. We read it and she enjoyed it. Then we went with my choice… and much to my delight she was laughing so hard I actually had to catch her as she almost rolled off her bed. This was the story that got the "again, again!" that night.
Really, I cannot recommend this one enough. If the child likes plays on words, they will likely find this to be hilarious. Honestly, it's still amusing even to me as an adult. 4/5 stars
I saw this book sitting there. The 50th anniversary edition with the original artwork and I was instantly transported back. When I was a kid this was one of my favorite books. I loved how the character took every word literally, and while it was very funny, it ingrained in kid Tim a knowledge that words could be taken multiple ways (something of a complex thought at 3 or 4). I had never seen the original artwork, and while it wasn't what I remembered, I found it charming and of course picked it up.
That night at story time, my daughter instantly went for the book she chose. That's fine, I expected it. We read it and she enjoyed it. Then we went with my choice… and much to my delight she was laughing so hard I actually had to catch her as she almost rolled off her bed. This was the story that got the "again, again!" that night.
Really, I cannot recommend this one enough. If the child likes plays on words, they will likely find this to be hilarious. Honestly, it's still amusing even to me as an adult. 4/5 stars
December 2, 2024
When asked to draw the curtains, she sketches them.
She dresses the chicken not with mayonnaise, but clothes.
When it’s time to put out the lights, she hangs them on a washing line.
And when asked to dust things… well, you get the idea.
Image: Drawing the curtains (Source)
Amelia is the maid at a very grand house. She is keen to do a good job, but is hampered by her literal mind and inability to understand idioms.
As a child, this was terribly funny and a little bit subversive.
Thinking about it now, it reads like a friendly caricature of a neurodivergent woman.
Fortunately, she’s such a good cook, her employers learn to accommodate her literal-mindedness and phrase their requests unambiguously, rather than forcing her to conform.
This is just the first of many books about her. I first read Amelia Bedelia to my little brother and then to children I babysat: only the first three or four. I now realise I never had copies of my own and probably didn’t read them to my own child.
She dresses the chicken not with mayonnaise, but clothes.
When it’s time to put out the lights, she hangs them on a washing line.
And when asked to dust things… well, you get the idea.
Image: Drawing the curtains (Source)
Amelia is the maid at a very grand house. She is keen to do a good job, but is hampered by her literal mind and inability to understand idioms.
As a child, this was terribly funny and a little bit subversive.
Thinking about it now, it reads like a friendly caricature of a neurodivergent woman.
Fortunately, she’s such a good cook, her employers learn to accommodate her literal-mindedness and phrase their requests unambiguously, rather than forcing her to conform.
This is just the first of many books about her. I first read Amelia Bedelia to my little brother and then to children I babysat: only the first three or four. I now realise I never had copies of my own and probably didn’t read them to my own child.
October 11, 2014
Recently read this to my daughter, and I almost forgot how much I enjoyed these books as a child.
Amelia Bedelia -- such a literal character -- always taking every word at face value, never able to read between the lines...and I still find her well-intentioned antics heartwarming and hilarious!
My daughter seems to agree. Great childhood read!
Amelia Bedelia -- such a literal character -- always taking every word at face value, never able to read between the lines...and I still find her well-intentioned antics heartwarming and hilarious!
My daughter seems to agree. Great childhood read!
September 4, 2014
Once upon a school day, I think when I was in second grade (so this would have been pre-1980, I believe), we went on our bi-weekly library outing. The librarian had us sit in front of her in the storytime area and whipped this book out. She read it to us.
That may have been when I realized my love for wordplay.
I don't think I'd ever laughed so hard in storytime in my life.
That librarian read us a lot of good books (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Charlotte's Web(that was in third grade and it took several weeks to finish), and others) but this one is the one that stuck with me for years. The sponge cake? Drawing the drapes? And the best part was that I understood Amelia's blunders, I got why it was funny and it warmed this little spot in my brain, in my heart, and in my soul which was not yet blackened and shriveled.
I have this book on my shelves. I'll pick it up every few years and thumb through it and by the end, I'm grinning so hugely, my cheeks hurt.
That may have been when I realized my love for wordplay.
I don't think I'd ever laughed so hard in storytime in my life.
That librarian read us a lot of good books (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Charlotte's Web(that was in third grade and it took several weeks to finish), and others) but this one is the one that stuck with me for years. The sponge cake? Drawing the drapes? And the best part was that I understood Amelia's blunders, I got why it was funny and it warmed this little spot in my brain, in my heart, and in my soul which was not yet blackened and shriveled.
I have this book on my shelves. I'll pick it up every few years and thumb through it and by the end, I'm grinning so hugely, my cheeks hurt.
April 30, 2019
Amelia Bedelia is such an adorable character. She tries so hard to complete her chores. But because she takes everything so literally, she always messes up everything.
This is her first day at work as a maid for the Rogers family. She did nothing right of what was required from her. In the end she was hired as she made the best dessert.
Very very funny book.
This is her first day at work as a maid for the Rogers family. She did nothing right of what was required from her. In the end she was hired as she made the best dessert.
Very very funny book.
April 25, 2018
These books were included in the nightly read-a-thon my children put me through each night. We loved the giggle fest Amelia Bedelia gave us. She was supposed to dust the furniture so Amelia Bedelia applied dusting powder! 🤣 c’mon that’s funny! (Or maybe I just have childish humor)🤷🏼♀️
November 12, 2012
Four stars today, adding a fifth star because of how much I loved this as a child.
And it's still hard not to like Amelia Bedelia. She is such an adorable, unintentionally funny individual, so earnest. It's hard to really be mad at her for doing what she thought was right, though she makes a mess of things (I'm sure many kids can relate to that!). I always loved her ruffled lacy apron and blue hat with the pink flowers on it. The illustrations fascinated me with all the old-fashioned furniture and clothing. I remember so many of her "chores" so vividly, from drawing the drapes to dressing the turkey. It was so much fun to be "in" on Amelia Bedelia's mistakes--I was a child who always loved words and the wordplay here was such a delight! And I always wanted some of that lemon meringue pie ;-)
And it's still hard not to like Amelia Bedelia. She is such an adorable, unintentionally funny individual, so earnest. It's hard to really be mad at her for doing what she thought was right, though she makes a mess of things (I'm sure many kids can relate to that!). I always loved her ruffled lacy apron and blue hat with the pink flowers on it. The illustrations fascinated me with all the old-fashioned furniture and clothing. I remember so many of her "chores" so vividly, from drawing the drapes to dressing the turkey. It was so much fun to be "in" on Amelia Bedelia's mistakes--I was a child who always loved words and the wordplay here was such a delight! And I always wanted some of that lemon meringue pie ;-)
February 8, 2019
This is the fiftieth anniversary edition of Amelia Bedelia. She is a maid who takes the meaning of words literally. A funny book, it is illustrated in black and green illustrations. This edition provides a glimpse at the advertising and professional reviews, and short biographies of the author Peggy Parish and the illustrator Frederick (Fritz) Siegel. This is my first reading of a Amelia Bedelia book. I have read one book written by Ms. Parish's nephew, Herman Parish, entitled Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School, published in 2009. Though I didn't write a review in 2011, I gave it a five star rating too.
January 2, 2013
Amelia Bedelia!!
This book seriously stressed me out as a child. It was funny, but I was concerned about how much she always messed up!
This book seriously stressed me out as a child. It was funny, but I was concerned about how much she always messed up!
April 16, 2017
4.5 stars
I have a confession to make: even though I had read the “Amelia Bedelia” books when I was little, I had never read the very first book in the “Amelia Bedelia” series, which has surprised me since I thought that that would be the first thing that I would have read (but, I was a kid back then and I just read whatever was put in front of me). So, I finally got the chance to read the very first book “Amelia Bedelia” by Peggy Parish along with artwork by Fritz Siebel and I was pleasantly surprised by this introductory book into the popular “Amelia Bedelia” series!
The story starts off with Amelia Bedelia starting her first day of work at the household of Mr. and Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Rogers left Amelia Bedelia a list of things she must do around the house while the Rogers are out. Before Amelia Bedelia went to work, she decided to make a lemon meringue pie for the Rogers once they get home and after she finished making the pie, she started going through the chores she has to do around the house. The first task that Amelia had to do is:
“Change the towels in the green bathroom.”
Sounds simple enough, except that Amelia thought that Mrs. Rogers had meant changing the designs of the towels and Amelia ended up cutting the towels into odd shapes. Next, Mrs. Rogers asked Amelia to:
“Dust the furniture.”
Instead, Amelia Bedelia took some dusting powder from the bathroom and dusted the furniture with it.
How much more damage will Amelia Bedelia cause in the Rogers’ household?
Read this book to find out!
I cannot believe that I waited until just recently to actually check out the very first book that jumpstarted the fantastic “Amelia Bedelia” series! I was quite impressed with how simple yet hilarious this story was and it is clear to see why the “Amelia Bedelia” series remained to be well -loved by children all over the world! Peggy Parish did a great job at writing Amelia Bedelia’s character as Amelia Bedelia remains to be a charming and likable character who usually takes things extremely literally and the fun in the story is seeing Amelia Bedelia do bizarre things with the chores she has to do around the house, such as a simple task of putting out the lights turn into Amelia Bedelia literally putting the lights outside to dry out in the sun. Fritz Siebel’s artwork is simplistic, yet cute at the same time as Amelia Bedelia is always drawn with an innocent look on her face and is always wearing a black dress with a white apron in front, signifying her status as a maid. I also loved the way that Fritz Siebel illustrated Amelia’s escapades in the Roger household, especially the scene where Amelia is dressing up the chicken as they were hilarious to look at. I also like the fact that the colorings are mainly in green and white colors as it makes it truly stand out from other children’s books that usually have black and white colorings in the artwork.
The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was that I felt that the pacing was a bit slow in some places and I sort of wish that they trimmed down the activities that Amelia Bedelia has done around the house just so the pacing would be faster.
Overall, “Amelia Bedelia” is a must read if you want to read about how Amelia Bedelia’s adventures began and if you are a huge fan of the “Amelia Bedelia” book series! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
January 21, 2019
So sweet! I love a good throwback, and this little book definitely spanned a couple of decades to replant me in my childhood, if only for a few minutes. It's fun revisiting an old friend like Amelia Bedelia!
September 29, 2016
This was one of my favorite childhood books. This also explains a lot about me and my opinon on the English language.
November 18, 2020
Amelia Bedelia holds soooo many special memories for me. <3 <3 <3 I can't believe it took me this long to find & review the book on GR!
November 21, 2012
This is a combined review of mom and daughter. I think as I child I loved this one as much as my daughter. As an adult, a little bit less because of the repetitiveness in the read aloud. I found myself wanting to just say Amelia instead of Amelia Bedelia. However, I still would happily continue reading this to my little one.
Amelia Bedelia is hilarious fun. She doesn't quite get what is being asked of her on her first day of work. She does everything on a list made by her new employers, but she does it in her own silly way. My daughter is a little young for understanding all the puns, but each time I read it I giggled at parts and told her why it was funny. She gets it now. I explained what it means to draw the drapes vs draw the drapes, etc. Her asking me to read the book 5 times in a short period of time lets me know she really enjoys it.
I love Amelia as much as when I read my first Amelia Bedelia book. She's quirky, she's hilarious, she's kindhearted, and she's a hard worker. I can't help but wonder when are they going to make an Amelia Bedelia movie?
This book was reintroduced to me by the Children's Picture Book Club found here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Amelia Bedelia is hilarious fun. She doesn't quite get what is being asked of her on her first day of work. She does everything on a list made by her new employers, but she does it in her own silly way. My daughter is a little young for understanding all the puns, but each time I read it I giggled at parts and told her why it was funny. She gets it now. I explained what it means to draw the drapes vs draw the drapes, etc. Her asking me to read the book 5 times in a short period of time lets me know she really enjoys it.
I love Amelia as much as when I read my first Amelia Bedelia book. She's quirky, she's hilarious, she's kindhearted, and she's a hard worker. I can't help but wonder when are they going to make an Amelia Bedelia movie?
This book was reintroduced to me by the Children's Picture Book Club found here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
November 4, 2024
Amelia Bedelia que era mulher de verdade... lançado pela primeira vez em 1963, a personagem clássica de Peggy Parish já rendeu dezenas de livros e é fácil ver porquê. Entre ser anarquista ou autista (ou autista anarquista), Amelia Bedelia tem uma forte vibe de As Pequenas Margaridas da Chytilová que chegaria aos cinemas três anos depois desse livro. Uma delicinha.
December 2, 2016
Overly literal maid Amelia Bedelia begins a new job and gets everything wrong.
One of the joys of parenthood is that it serves as a motivation to pick up exceptionally good children's classics that one has heard of, but missed during one's own childhood. And a second joy is sharing them with an eager and appreciative audience.
DS#1 (age 5) and DD (age 3) both demanded an immediate reread the first day, and then cadged an afternoon and evening reading on the second. It's been in heavy rotation since.
DS#2 (17 months) inexplicably also regards it as a favorite. There's a dog on the first page, a sure sign of quality literature (when reading the book, we turn back a couple of times and admire it). Perhaps he also likes the pleasing euphony of Amelia Bedelia's name?
Five stars all around.
One of the joys of parenthood is that it serves as a motivation to pick up exceptionally good children's classics that one has heard of, but missed during one's own childhood. And a second joy is sharing them with an eager and appreciative audience.
DS#1 (age 5) and DD (age 3) both demanded an immediate reread the first day, and then cadged an afternoon and evening reading on the second. It's been in heavy rotation since.
DS#2 (17 months) inexplicably also regards it as a favorite. There's a dog on the first page, a sure sign of quality literature (when reading the book, we turn back a couple of times and admire it). Perhaps he also likes the pleasing euphony of Amelia Bedelia's name?
Five stars all around.
June 12, 2016
This is the first book of the Amelia Bedelia series and I can't believe it's over 50 years since it was written!
The illustrations are cute and she is so funny!
It's her first day at work as a maid for the Rogers family. They gave her a list of chores to complete when they go out, but she takes everything so literally that she messes all up! They end up "forgiving" her because she made the most amazing lemon pie.
I giggled when she "dressed the chicken"... in a cute little jumper!
The illustrations are cute and she is so funny!
It's her first day at work as a maid for the Rogers family. They gave her a list of chores to complete when they go out, but she takes everything so literally that she messes all up! They end up "forgiving" her because she made the most amazing lemon pie.
I giggled when she "dressed the chicken"... in a cute little jumper!
March 4, 2016
Silly but cute.. My little one liked it.
October 7, 2020
I was laughing out loud! Hilarious!
January 8, 2020
Had a nice little re-visit with an old friend.
August 8, 2021
July's Wheel of TBR
Read a short book
Read a short book
August 31, 2019
This came across my feed, and I literally gasped out loud. I loved the Amelia Bedelia books when I was little. We had an aunt that lives in Florida, and would send us a "birthday box" every year. She would read books out loud and record them on tape. I remember this series the best- loved them! We may have wore out the tapes. Awesome memories.
June 29, 2017
Amelia Bedelia has cracked me up for most of my life! I remember this one being read to me long ago, and I just laughed hysterically along with my teacher as the mishaps were explained. It's an incredibly effective and creative idea by Peggy Parish to help teach the difficulty and silliness of our language. There's certainly no better character to stumble through the misinterpreted nuances of it than Amelia Bedelia!
August 4, 2023
I adored these when I was young. Reading them to my kids now is so fun.
December 7, 2020
I remember reading this as a kid :) Very funny book.
It's about Amelia Bedelia getting a job for a rich couple and they provide her a list of things to do around the house when they are out. She messes up every task because she see's the tasks literally instead of figuratively which makes it rally funny. Such as draw the drapes, instead of closing the drapes she literally takes out pencil and paper and draws the drapes.
It's about Amelia Bedelia getting a job for a rich couple and they provide her a list of things to do around the house when they are out. She messes up every task because she see's the tasks literally instead of figuratively which makes it rally funny. Such as draw the drapes, instead of closing the drapes she literally takes out pencil and paper and draws the drapes.
December 15, 2024
Good thing Amelia Bedelia can bake.
December 3, 2021
I am over the top delighted about this special book. In a great picture book size, this jacketed hardcover anniversary edition is fabulous. Featuring the jacket, artwork and story from the original 1963 edition which brings a treasure to life for today's young generation of children. These illustrations are made with variations of green and black (including grey) and it is very neat to be able to compare the vintage classic the the full color we are able to see in the little I Can Read! version Amelia Bedelia.
At the end of the book in the 50th Anniversary Edition Picture Book are some neat additions including a scan of an excerpt from a Harper & Row Catalog announcing Amelia Bedelia (as well as Where the Wild Things Are) and a biography section on Peggy Parish complete with pictures and illustrations. This is followed by a section on the illustrator Fritz Seibel. Here it states that his daughter Barbara Seibel Thomas worked on the full-color, expanded I Can Read! version colorizing his illustrations and adding some new ones.
Next in the book is a really nifty section showing scans of the original dummy book presenting drawn images and taped on typed text. Very cool to see.
Lastly is an Amelia Bedelia timeline 1963-2013 showing changes in illustrations of the branding of the name in font and illustration even featuring Young Amelia Bedelia.
Definitely a treasure for new and older Amelia Bedelia fans alike.
*Thanks to HarperCollins for providing a copy for review.*
posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...
Reprinted and/or excerpt included in The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud.
At the end of the book in the 50th Anniversary Edition Picture Book are some neat additions including a scan of an excerpt from a Harper & Row Catalog announcing Amelia Bedelia (as well as Where the Wild Things Are) and a biography section on Peggy Parish complete with pictures and illustrations. This is followed by a section on the illustrator Fritz Seibel. Here it states that his daughter Barbara Seibel Thomas worked on the full-color, expanded I Can Read! version colorizing his illustrations and adding some new ones.
Next in the book is a really nifty section showing scans of the original dummy book presenting drawn images and taped on typed text. Very cool to see.
Lastly is an Amelia Bedelia timeline 1963-2013 showing changes in illustrations of the branding of the name in font and illustration even featuring Young Amelia Bedelia.
Definitely a treasure for new and older Amelia Bedelia fans alike.
*Thanks to HarperCollins for providing a copy for review.*
posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...
Reprinted and/or excerpt included in The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud.
October 12, 2012
Amelia Bedelia, written by Peggy Parish and illustrated by Fritz Siebel, is an easy-to-ready story with a mixture of dialogue, action, and different text (written cursive and typed text). The meain character is Amelia Bedelia and she is a silly maid who takes everything literally. She is hired by Mrs. Rodgers to clean her home and prepare dinner while Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers are out. Amelia Bedelia performs every item on Mrs. Rodger's list exactly as it says-even going to extra to bake a Lemon Meringue pie. When the Rodger's return they find their house a mess, but some wonderful pie.
The illustrations in this book are sketch-like, cartoon-ish, and roughly generalized according to actual dimensions of objects, that being said, Siebel has a one-of-a-kind portrayl of Amelia Bedelia. The faces of the characters are simplistic, only providing the young reader with generalized happy/puzzled/surpsed/angry faces. Siebel only shows what the reader needs to know from the text-teaching the reader how and what to imagine what the words are describing. Siebel gives some ornate details such as an old wood burning stove and stylized lamps. Siebel creates a wonderful image of Amelia Bedelia.
This book is a great way to expose new readers to dual meanings of words and how misinterpretations of intended meaning can create conflict. I give this book five of five stars because of its simple and humorous lot. this is a great book for a personal, classroom, and school library for students to read. It can also be a discussion book about semantics.
The illustrations in this book are sketch-like, cartoon-ish, and roughly generalized according to actual dimensions of objects, that being said, Siebel has a one-of-a-kind portrayl of Amelia Bedelia. The faces of the characters are simplistic, only providing the young reader with generalized happy/puzzled/surpsed/angry faces. Siebel only shows what the reader needs to know from the text-teaching the reader how and what to imagine what the words are describing. Siebel gives some ornate details such as an old wood burning stove and stylized lamps. Siebel creates a wonderful image of Amelia Bedelia.
This book is a great way to expose new readers to dual meanings of words and how misinterpretations of intended meaning can create conflict. I give this book five of five stars because of its simple and humorous lot. this is a great book for a personal, classroom, and school library for students to read. It can also be a discussion book about semantics.
March 12, 2009
Classic story about a young housekeeper who misunderstands her directions and follows her to-do list literally. A fun read for older children, although I had to explain some of the items, since they aren't commonly used (at least in our house!)
This story was selected as one of the books for the November 2012 - Classic Picture Book Characters reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This story was selected as one of the books for the November 2012 - Classic Picture Book Characters reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
December 14, 2009
Later in life, when conversation turned to books one read as a child...and after exhausting my fond memories of Frog and Toad...I recalled this character.
"Who?"
"Amelia Bedelia..."
"You're pronouncing it wrong. It's Uh-mee-lee-ah Buh-dee-lee-ah. Hold on."
"Where are you going?"
"Making sure I didn't miss taking my pill."
So, note: "Amelia Bedelia" doesn't rhyme with "Oh-Hell-yeah Regalia".
"Who?"
"Amelia Bedelia..."
"You're pronouncing it wrong. It's Uh-mee-lee-ah Buh-dee-lee-ah. Hold on."
"Where are you going?"
"Making sure I didn't miss taking my pill."
So, note: "Amelia Bedelia" doesn't rhyme with "Oh-Hell-yeah Regalia".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,343 reviews