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

Peggy Parish (Author), Fritz Siebel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Amelia Bedelia, the housekeeper with a literal mind, merrily upsets the household when she "dresses" the chicken and "trims" the steak with ribbons and lace.

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

"A perfect blend of text and pictures spiced with humor." -- -- K.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064441555
• ISBN-13: 978-0064441551
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( P ) > Parish, Peggy
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Series > Early Reader > Amelia Bedelia
  • #60 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Series > Early Reader > I Can Read Books

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Jane James "homeschoolmum" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book 2) (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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

yarden "yarden" (portland, or) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book Level 2) (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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

This review is from: Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book Level 2) (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.