Amelia Bedelia's Family Album

by Peggy Parish, Lynn Sweat (Illustrator)

Overview

Who could be more zany than Amelia Bedelia, everyone's favorite literal-minded housekeeper? Her family, of course! Meet the wacky members of this very original and entertaining family!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060511166
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/18/2003
Series:	I Can Read Book 2 Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	662,398
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.19(d)
Lexile:	460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Peggy Parish was born and grew up in Manning, South Carolina. Before moving to New York City, she taught school in the Panhandle country and in coal-mining areas. Her first job in New York City was with the Girl Scouts, and she now teaches the third grade at the Dalton School in Manhattan. Miss Parish is the author of several other books for children, including the popular Let's Be Indians.

Lynn Sweat has illustrated many Amelia Bedelia books, including Go West, Amelia Bedelia! He and his wife live in Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Amelia Bedelia and her misunderstandings have entertained children for years; now readers can meet Amelia's relatives, who are just as wacky as she is. For beginners, Amelia's mother is a loafer (she makes bread), her father is a telephone operator (he repairs phones), her cousin is a boxer (he makes boxes) and her nephew is a catcher (he catches mumps, measles, etc.). Mr. and Mrs. Rogers listen attentively to Amelia Bedelia's family lore, and insist that she invite everybody to the party. With her usual literal-mindedness, Amelia Bedelia misinterprets ``everybody,'' and the party is more inclusive than the Rogerses had intended. Parish and Sweat have produced a radiant look at everyone's favorite maid. But while the illustrations are sprinkled wth humor, the text itself is a bit flat and somewhat repetitive for older readers. Those just beginning to read by themselves will love this; and all readers will be happy to discover that Amelia Bedelia is not one of a kind. Ages 8-up. (September)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 1-3 Mr. and Mrs. Rogers want to have a party for Amelia Bedelia. The three pore through Amelia's family album to select the guests, while Amelia Bedelia tells what each family member does. Each description, of course, is open to gross misinterpretation as Amelia gives each occupation its own special twist. Her cousin, a boxer, packs boxes; Aunt Mary, a bank teller, tells people in the bank where to go; her cousin Chester is a printer who can't use ``proper writing''; and her bookkeeper cousin keeps books instead of returning them. While this is not as clever or funny as some of the other Amelia Bedelia books, and some of the jokes will fall flat, the exploration of the nonsense and absurdity to be found in learning the English language probably will continue its appeal for early readers. Sweat's cheerful cartoon watercolors faithfully interpret Parish's text, and add the necessary information for understanding Amelia's descriptions. Leda Schubert, Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier

School Library Journal