Amelia Bedelia

Amelia Bedelia, that all-too-willing housemaid whose literal nature embroils her in countless scrapes whilst employed in the Rogers household, made her debut in 1963, in this first of numerous hilarious adventures. Eager to please and ready to work, she arrives on the job one morning, only to discover that Mrs. Rogers must run out, and has prepared a list of tasks for her complete. Unfortunately (or not, for the amused reader), while "dusting the furniture" or "putting the lights out" might seem like simple matters to some, for Amelia Bedelia they are rather puzzling affairs. Still, she is nothing if not obliging...

I loved reading the Amelia Bedelia books when I was a little girl, laughing at the heroine's many mix-ups, and relishing show more the knowledge that I, the child reader, knew better than the adult character what should be done. It was a pleasure to revisit her amusing antics as part of our November Picture-Book Club reading, as our theme this month has been "Classic Picture Book Characters." The combination of hilarious misunderstanding and subtly educational word-play make this a true classic in the field, one that will entertain child readers, even as it leads them to consider the multiple meanings that words can have, and the mistakes that can occur if one is ignorant of all idiomatic expressions, and interprets everything literally. Highly recommended to all beginning readers, whether they are a little literal themselves, or whether they just enjoy a good laugh. show less

I grew up on Amelia Bedelia Books--I always found them hilarious! These are great for kids who are in the process of learning how to read and also to read to younger children. The whole book is just a play on words, for example, when Amelia is asked to "dress the chicken," she actually puts clothes on it instead of marinating it and when she is asked to "draw the drapes," Amelia pulls out a drawing pad and pencil and sketches them instead of simply opening them.

I think this is a funny, easy book for children to read--it is very entertaining and silly with fabulous illustrations. The play on words helps children understand that many words have more than one meaning.

After reading this book, I would have my class brainstorm some more show more words that may have more than one meaning and create a funny story for it. We could have so many great activities branching off of this book! show less

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.
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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. show less

I have always loved this book for many reasons. First, I love the language use within this story. I think that using word with multiple meanings in a humorous way keeps the book very interesting. For example “drawing the drapes” can mean to physically draw them shut, or to draw them with pencil on a paper. I liked that the book introduces the character Amelia Bedelia, as a housekeeper. I think that confusing homophones through her silly character is a very clever way to incorporate the homphone use within this book. When she draws the drapes onto paper, I think it makes homophone examples come to life for the reader. Additionally, I loved the illustrations in this book for the same reason. Words with multiple meanings can be show more confusing to readers, but through the illustrations it is easy to see which meaning Amelia was supposed to use in her to-do list. For example, Amelia is shown in the picture dressing the chicken in baby clothes rather than with food. By illustrating this example, I think readers can easily visualize why Amelia got the phrases mixed up. Without the pictures, the book would be extremely unclear.
I think the main idea of this book is to demonstrate that words can have multiple meanings. I think that this message was very well conveyed because it was written through the perspective of a silly housekeeper who is mixing up her chores. show less

The original Amelia Bedelia book is just as delightful as when it was originally published decades ago. Poor Amelia Bedelia is left at the grand house alone on her first day of work as a maid for the Rogers. She has a list to follow but her literal-mindedness causes her to read the directions all wrong. Luckily, her supreme baking skills save the day. Personally, Fritz Siebel’s illustrations don’t delight as much as Lynn Sweat’s do, but I do like the unusual choice of black, white, and green illustrations.

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.

I love Ameila Bedelia! I grew up reading the books in the Amelia Bedelia series and to this day they still make me laugh. Looking back at the books now I still think they are great stories to read to/with students. I love the illustrations in the story. If a student is having difficulty understanding the literal aspect of the book she can use the pictures as visual cues to decipher the text. The book is also a great way to introduce the difference between literal statements. Mrs. Rogers learns to be more specific and write very simple instructions for Amelia (draw the drapes, measure the rice). The students can then use these examples and think of literal/ figurative expressions on their own leaving Amelia instructions them self. Amelia show more Bedelia has so many teachable moments, great illustrations and is very funny making the story great for readers. show less