Amelia Bedelia (book) facts for kids
Cover of the first edition
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| Author | Peggy Parish |
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| Illustrator | Fritz Siebel |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Amelia Bedelia |
| Genre | Children's picture book, comedy |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
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Publication date
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1963 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 32 unnumbered |
| OCLC | 301683 |
| LC Class | PZ7.P219 Am |
| Followed by | Thank You, Amelia Bedelia |
Amelia Bedelia is the very first book in the popular Amelia Bedelia series. It's a funny children's picture book about a housekeeper who takes everything literally. This means she does exactly what words say, even if it makes no sense!
The book was written by Peggy Parish and illustrated by Fritz Siebel. It was first published by Harper and Row in 1963. Later, Holt Rinehart and Winston made it part of their easy-to-read "I Can Read!" series.
The "Amelia Bedelia" books are super popular. More than 35 million copies have been sold! In 2013, a special 50th anniversary edition came out. It included notes from the author and old photos. Peggy Parish's nephew, Herman Parish, also started writing new books about a young Amelia Bedelia.
Peggy Parish got the idea for Amelia Bedelia from her third-grade students. They often mixed up words, which led to funny mistakes. A housekeeper at her grandparents' house, where Peggy played as a child, also helped inspire the character.
What Happens in Amelia Bedelia?
Amelia Bedelia gets a new job as a maid for Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. She tries her best to do everything right. But she always misunderstands their instructions. This is because many of their instructions are idioms. Idioms are phrases that mean something different from their exact words.
Mrs. Rogers gives Amelia a list of chores. Then, the couple leaves for the day. Amelia decides to bake a delicious lemon meringue pie as a surprise. But first, she starts on her chores.
Amelia takes every instruction literally. For example, she "dresses the chicken" by putting tiny clothes on it. She "draws the drapes" by sketching pictures of them on paper. She "dusts the furniture" by covering it with cosmetic powder. And she "puts the lights out" by hanging lightbulbs on a clothesline.
When Mr. and Mrs. Rogers come home, they are very confused. None of the chores are done, and their house is a mess! Mrs. Rogers is about to fire Amelia. But then, Mr. Rogers gives his wife a bite of Amelia's pie. The pie is so tasty that Mrs. Rogers forgives Amelia. She decides to keep her as a maid. But she promises to write clearer instructions next time!
Amelia's Funny Chores
Here is the list of chores Mrs. Rogers gave Amelia. You can see how Amelia understood each one.
- Change the towels in the green bathroom – Amelia used scissors to cut and change the towels' look.
- Dust the furniture – She threw dusting powder all over the furniture. She thought "dust" meant to add powder, not remove it.
- Draw the drapes when the sun comes in – She drew a picture of the drapes on a piece of paper.
- Put the lights out when you finish in the living room – She took all the light bulbs out of their sockets. Then she hung them on the clothesline outside.
- Measure two cups of rice – She poured rice into two coffee cups. Then she stacked them and measured them with a tape measure. She put the rice back in the box after.
- Trim the fat before you put the steak in the icebox – She decorated the steak with lace and ribbons. She thought "trim" meant to decorate.
- Dress the chicken – She put little clothes onto the chicken.
Mr. Rogers didn't mind if she kept doing the last two chores that way!
