Herman Parish (1953–2024)

I'm always dumbfounded by the fact that there can be so many Amelia Bedelia books -- and that my family has so many in our personal library. It's a one-joke series, wherein Amelia Bedelia acts the fool, being incredibly obtuse and literal about everyday idioms and words.

This iteration has her Christmas shopping and getting the correct presents despite her constant attempts at buying something entirely wrong.

The only thing in the book that piqued my curiosity were all the tall, vertical show more presents Amelia Bedelia's friends give her on the last page. Are they all liquor bottles, perhaps giving us a cue as to why Amelia Bedelia's mind is so addled? Or are they all sex toys, offering another reason why she may have trouble focusing on day-to-day life? show less

I loved reading Amelia Bedelia as a child so I picked this book this week as some nostalgia, however I was a little disappointed. It is listed as a beginning reader book and while the words were simple, I found some of the dialogue pages to be confusing and worded and ordered poorly. I also remember thinking as a kid how funny it was that she would misunderstand everything and take everything literally, but reading it today, I was just frustrated. It also makes housekeepers look show more intellectually beneath their families. There are also social disorders that are characterized by misunderstanding innuendos and figures of speech. This book followed Amelia Bedelia finding a cat and then going all over town to try and gather the things a cat needs. She calls the zoo and has a 3 page misunderstanding with Mr. Lyon, and also learns the difference between a litter of cats and cat litter. There are lessons to be taught from this book about homophones and other social situations, however I was mainly underwhelmed reading this as an adult. show less

I enjoyed this chapter book for many different reasons. I loved the characters in the book because I felt that they were well-developed. This book does not only focus on Amelia Bedelia's silly personally, but it also enhances the personalities of her parents, classmates, and neighbors. In order to earn money to buy her bike, Amelia helps Pete at his diner. Throughout this portion of the book, I felt like I knew Pete just as well as I knew Amelia. Developing many different characters is great show more for children because they are able to understand that all personalities are different and everyone brings something to the table. Additionally, I also enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book. For example, when Amelia decorates her bike as a "giant lemon tart," in attempts to attract customers, the illustrations portray her work. In the photo it shows that her tires look like "giant lemon slices," her back holds a sign demanding, "try a bite!" and on the top of her helmet is a "papier-måche lemon." This is just one example out of many that the illustrations throughout the book represent the plot of the story. Lastly, the humor throughout the story is hilarious. Amelia takes everything literally that her family and friends say; this creates a funny story for children to be constantly entertained. Overall, the message of this book is when life gives you lemons, make lemonade (literally AND figuratively). show less

As a kid, Amelia Bedelia books were always one of my favorites. So, when I found one on the holiday, Valentines Day, I was excited to read it. I loved this story because of the funny and literate language. Specifically, Amelia Bedelia takes everything literally, like when the bus driver said, “You’re holding us up!” and Amelia Bedelia replied, “That’s impossible, I’m not strong enough!” I remember being a kid and cracking up as my mom read me these stories! In addition to this, show more Amelia Bedelia’s character is what makes the story so amusing to children. She is relatable to young children because just like them, Amelia Bedelia is trying to figure out and understand the world. She makes mistakes, which children can laugh about and share similar happenings. The main idea of this story is to introduce the holiday of Valentine’s Day, a book centered on love and friendship. show less