Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book Level 2) [Paperback]

Peggy Parish (Author), Fritz Siebel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: December 26, 2012 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 140L (What's this?)

From dressing the chicken to drawing the drapes, Amelia Bedelia does exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Rogers tell her to do. If things get a bit mixed up, well, that's okay. When Amelia Bedelia is involved, everything always turns out perfectly in the end!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amelia Bedelia is a housekeeper who takes her instructions quite literally. Reading the list of chores that her employer has left her, Amelia begins with "Dust the furniture." How odd, Amelia thinks to herself. "At my house we undust the furniture." Nonetheless, she dutifully locates the "Dusting Powder" in the bathroom, and proceeds to sprinkle it all over the living-room furniture and floor. Next she is asked to "Draw the drapes when the sun comes in." So of course, Amelia sits down with a sketchpad and gives it her best shot. Children love reading about the antics of silly Amelia Bedelia for myriad reasons. It's an early reader book, so children in primary grades can take satisfaction in reading the book on their own. But, even more thrilling, children who are 6 and older can successfully interpret the figurative meaning behind most adult idioms. Being told to "keep an eye on the cat," for example, might compel some preschoolers to stick their eyeballs on a cat's face, eliciting peals of laughter from know-it-all grownups. But older children know better, and they love the fact that they know better. Young readers will find this bumblingly charming, eager-to-please housekeeper as irresistible as Amelia Bedelia's employers do. (Ages 6 and older) --Gail Hudson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“Right on the button for juvenile humor! This book is for that stage in life when the acme of wit is considered to be a questions like this—‘How can I sit UP when I’m sitting DOWN?’ A perfect blend of text and pictures spiced with humor.” (K.)

“The hilarious antics of a housekeeper whose literal interpretations of her list of chores lead to some extremely funny messes.” (School Library Journal)

“The new maid, Amelia Bedelia, was so eager to please that she followed her instructions to the letter with the kind of silly results that will make kindergarten children giggle.” (Publishers Weekly)

“The younger children for whom this nonsense makes a good read-aloud, and those older who will find it easy to read, will giggle through its series of jokes.” (Horn Book Magazine)

“Amelia Bedelia, the new maid, slightly suggests the famous Mary Poppins, but she makes her entry discreetly through the doorway, on her two feet, instead of blowing in on the wind. Thisis purely a ‘silly’ book, with no lesson to impart, but it will seem hilarious to young children.” (Saturday Review)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 50 ANV edition (December 26, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064441555
• ISBN-13: 978-0064441551
• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 5.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Really helped encourage my daughter May 31, 2000

By Jane James

Format:Library Binding

My daughter was having some trouble coming up to speed on her reading skills, and this book was really helpful to her.

I tend to like the I Can Read Books, anyway, but this one in particular helped my daughter, because she was so fond of the story itself.

Amelia Bedelia is loveable and absurd. Kids can really relate to the humor -- Amelia Bedelia finds herself in trouble over misunderstanding the dual meanings of words.

This is a good illustration of what not understanding the full meaning of a word can do to a person (and all the trouble that it can create) and it's something that every child has come across at some point or another.

It is ridiculous and funny, and what kid doesn't like ridiculous and funny?

This is a good one, particularly for girls, I think, since the Amelia is female, and there don't seem to be as many books out there starring women or girls as there should be.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An "I Can Read" CLASSIC September 7, 2000

By yarden

Format:Paperback

Without a doubt, the Amelia Bedelia books stand tall as good literature in the "I Can Read" genre -- a genre notorious for less-than-interesting stories, owing to the fact that it is subject to limited vocabulary lists. Peggy Parish uses these limitations to her benefit, however, creating a whimsical character in Amelia Bedelia, a woman who takes everything literally (for example, a request to prune the hedges causes Amelia to stick prunes on the hedges, and when asked to draw the drapes in the living room, Amelia scrambles for her pencil and notepad to sketch them).

Amelia Bedelia's peculiarities make for a memorable story -- one that kids will read over and over, and one that parents won't mind sitting in on. This book is highly recommended. (Okay, okay, I loved it when I was a kid!)

And hey, be sure to catch all the other Amelia Bedelia books as well.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for a young reader September 22, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

My niece just started first grade. I sat next to her while she read this entire book, with minimal help. The book is so well written for the young reader, and the children feel such a sense of accomplishment in that they can actually read it themselves. The plot is very enjoyable, too.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I can never stop laughing about Amelia Bedelia! September 9, 2000

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

Amelia Bedelia is the funniest book that I ever seen in my entire life. My favorite part of the book was when Amelia Bedelia dressed the chicken in overalls and socks! I couldn't stop laughing about the chicken that was dressed. I love Amelia Bedelia books they are so funny that I could laugh even when I was reading the book. I really think that Amelia Bedelia is the funniest book in the world! They are so funny that even when I was done with the book I still was laughing! I still think about Amelia Bedelia at school.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps The Best Maid A Family Could Have November 14, 2001

By T. W. Fuller

Format:Paperback

"Amelia Bedelia" has entertained children, and even adults, for many years. Its silliness and humor are as fresh now as it was back when first published.

In this first book, which spurned numerous other "Amelia Bedelia" stories, we see that Amelia is a maid who goes to work for an upper class family. And no ordinary maid, mind you. She is a peculair and singular maid. She is given a list of chores to do while the homeonwers, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, go out.

One chore she must do is "Put the lights out" when she is finished in the living room. To most other maids, perhaps, they would understand this chore to mean "turn off the lights". But not Amelia. She thinks the Rogers' want her take all the light bulbs out of the house to "air out".

As a child, "Amelia Bedelia" continuously entertained me. And if it had not been for her lemon meringue pie, the Rogers' would have fired her for her incompetence. But with one bite, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers forgot about her mistakes, and kept her on permantently as their maid, leading to other delightful "Amelia bedelia" stories, and more silly mishaps and misunderstandings.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must read" for children (hopefully with their parents) March 29, 1998

By M. Steiner ([e-mail])

Format:Hardcover

I believe Amelia Bedelia is one of the most wonderful children books. Small wonder it has been printed and reprinted for so many years.

I was this past weekend with two boys, ages five and seven, on a car ride.

While sitting with them and trying to make conversation, I remembered the long lost book, Amelia Bedelia.

I I had read it with my own daughter, many years ago.

Even though the two boys had not read the book, I explained to them some of the things that Amelia Bedelia used to do when left alone in the house.

We spent the rest of the ride with them thinking of "other" things Amelia Bedelia would be capable of doing.

Those two young minds were working overtime trying to figure all kinds of "do as told" (literal) things that Amelia might do.

Not for a second they wondered "are we there yet?" And we all laughed and had a wonderful time.

This is why I came tonight to amazon.com to get this two little ones a copy of the book.

I know they will get many hours of entertainment reading and talking about the book.

I don't think too many children books are able to do that!
And I also know that I will be back at amazon.com getting other books on the series to give to children in our family. It is a wonderful way to encourage reading and thinking.

Children today, when faced with so much television and other media, can use more of both thinking and reading.

Especially while having a great time!