Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower (I Can Read, Level 2) [Paperback]

Peggy Parish (Author), Barbara Siebel Thomas (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

She's in trouble again!

Fun-loving Amelia Bedelia is in charge of a surprise wedding shower. And when she arrives with a garden hose, the entire party is turned into an uproarious mess!

Fun-loving Amelia Bedelia is in charge of a surprise wedding shower. And when she arrives with a garden hose, the entire party is turned into an uproarious mess!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peggy Parish wrote many popular books for children, several featuring her most famous character, Amelia Bedelia, who first appeared in 1963. Peggy Parish died in November 1988.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Revised edition (October 7, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064440192
• ISBN-13: 978-0064440196
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( P ) > Parish, Peggy
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Series > Early Reader > Amelia Bedelia
  • #94 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Holidays & Festivals > Non-religious

More About the Author

The late Peggy Parish, well known for her stories about Amelia Bedelia, wrote many popular books for children, including Dinosaur Time, illustrated by Arnold Lobel.

"I hate reading but your books are changing my opinion." This letter, from a young Peggy Parish fan, comes as no surprise to the teachers and librarians who have put her books in the hands of children over the years. Ms. Parish wrote nearly three dozen children's books-many of which include her most famous character, the literal-minded maid named Amelia Bedelia.

Peggy Parish knew what children like to read. After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in English, she taught school in Oklahoma, Kentucky, and, for over 15 years, at the well-known, progressive Dalton School in New York City. It was at Dalton that she began to find ways to release her creative ideas and energy, Though she never took a writing course, "writing stories for children came naturally." Her first book, published in 1961, was followed with Let's Be Indians and in 1963 with her unforgettable Amelia Bedelia.

Always involved with education in some way, Peggy Parish did television pieces on preschool education and children's books, wrote children's book review columns, and led numerous in-service training workshops for teachers. In discussing her ideas about education, she said, "Children's rights are taken away from them when they enter school. What I try to show teachers is that all the skills needed to read can be taught outside of textbooks. Today's children are not going to read what they are not interested in. And if a positive attitude toward reading is not developed during the first three years of school, it is virtually impossible to develop it later."

After living in New York for many years, Peggy Parish returned to her native South Carolina. She died in November, 1988. But Ameila Bedelia did not die. Peggy Parish's nephew, Herman Parish, has written Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia and Bravo, Amelia Bedelia!, published by Greenwillow Books in 1995 and 1997 respectively.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2* Chocolate Fish and Planted Prunes: Amelia is Back!, October 14, 2000

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower (I Can Read, Level 2) (Paperback)

Amelia Bedelia, a young housekeeper, encounters the ambiguities of the spoken word, with hilarious results. Her problem? She takes words too literally: When asked to "prune the hedge," she and her cousin stick prunes on all the branches. A request to "scale and ice" some freshly caught fish results in her weighing them, and then frosting the fish with chocolate icing! And when she's asked to help give Miss Alma surprise shower. . .well, you can probably imagine her interpretation.

Despite Amelia's well-intentioned miscues, everything ends happily, maybe even better than if she had understood everything as intended. This is one of the best in the Amelia Bedelia series, with lots of fun wordplay and an interesting story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amelia Bedelia's Best Book!, November 3, 1999

By 

Paul Metz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower (I Can Read, Level 2) (Paperback)

This book will have parents and children laughing out loud, until the last page. In this story, Miss Alma is going to have a shower at the Rogers-Bedelia House. So Amelia Bedelia almost crashes the party with her cousin. She puts prunes all over the hedges, ices raw fish with chocolate frosting, stomps on Mrs Rogers's favorite tablecloth, and sprays all the party guests with the hose. But she knows how to do one thing the right way, and that is to make chocolate cupcakes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars To Dump For Me, November 11, 2001

By 

TAYLOR (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower (An I Can Read Book) (Hardcover)

The Amelia Bedelia series book Amelia Bedelia and The Suprise Shower from a 4 year olds perspective was a funny and entertaining book. She is told to do something and she literally does it a quote form the book "Amelia Bedelia do run over this with an iron." Amelia Bedelia got the iron and ran over the table cloth with the iron in her hand. Amelia Bedelia is a great series for younger kids and a good way to teach them to read.