Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia [Hardcover]

Herman Parish (Author), Lynn Sweat (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2002 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Amelia Bedelia

Prescription

Date: A hot day in August.

For: Young readers.

Symptoms: Dr. Horton's office is full of waiting patients. The doctor is delayed. The patients' patience is running out. Nurse Ames needs help!

Treatment: Amelia Bedelia, helper par excellence, who solves all problems, even if she creates new ones along the way!

Recommendation: Open this book, turn the pages, and get ready to laugh at Amelia Bedelia's latest literal misinterpretations, medical style!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"I hear a ringing in my ears." "A ringing? Maybe you should answer the doorbell." The inimitable housekeeper helps out at the doctor's office and stirs up trouble in Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish, illus. by Lynn Sweat, the fourth title penned by Peggy Parish's nephew. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-2-Parish continues the series in the wacky tradition of his aunt, Peggy Parish. Dropping by her doctor's office on a busy day, Amelia Bedelia is asked by the nurse to help out until the doctor returns from the hospital. The literal-minded maid winds up fielding phone calls from patients, infuriating one and all as she interprets their symptoms incorrectly. Finally, the doctor arrives to find her office full of irate patients. Amelia Bedelia saves the day by treating everyone to ice cream. A realistic situation? Of course not. It's just another romp with the world's most clueless domestic. As always, Sweat's color drawings perfectly capture the wild goings-on. A lively addition to the series.
Lisa Smith, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (July 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060014210
• ISBN-13: 978-0060014216
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,546,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Herman Parish was in the fourth grade when his aunt, Peggy Parish, wrote the first book about Amelia Bedelia. The lovable, literal-minded housekeeper has been a member of his family ever since. Peggy Parish died in 1988. She would be proud and delighted to know that with Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia; Bravo, Amelia Bedelia!; Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor and now Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia, her nephew is carrying on -- for a new generation of readers -- the tradition she began years ago.

In His Own Words... "In true Amelia Bedelia fashion, I backed into writing these books about the literal-minded housekeeper who children laugh at and love. Amelia Bedelia was created by my aunt, Peggy Parish. Although she passed away in 1988, Peggy still received fan mail from children. They wondered when the next Amelia Bedelia book would be out. Then other children's authors wrote and volunteered to continue the series. I felt uneasy about Amelia Bedelia leaving our family. As I was in the fourth grade when she first appeared, I had literally grown up with her. So I decided to try to write a new Amelia Bedelia adventure. My two sisters and my family were very supportive and encouraged me. I'd had experience in writing advertisements. I reread the Amelia Bedelia stories to figure out what made them funny. I realized that everyday life overflows with idiomatic expressions, literalisms, and homophones. It's amazing more people don't get confused-besides Amelia Bedelia! My first book, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia, took me a year to think about and one night to write. I had been collecting ideas, homonyms, and expressions. Whenever I heard them, I jotted them down: on napkins in restaurants, on my newspaper while riding the bus, and on agenda sheets in business meetings.

I stockpiled these fragments in a folder until one Sunday night, with my family asleep, I decided that it was now or never. I sat down around ten o'clock and began to write. I was so focused on the story that I finished as the sun came up on Monday morning. Naturally, the story needed revision, but the essence was captured in that all-night writing spree.

I am fortunate that my editor, Susan Hirschman, and the illustrator, Lynn Sweat, had worked with Peggy on many Amelia Bedelia books. That helped make the transition from Peggy's books to mine as seamless as possible.

I feel very lucky to be writing Amelia Bedelia books and continuing a family tradition. But the best reward was when a child wrote Peggy Parish a fan letter. It said that Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia is the best book she has written. To me, that's the highest compliment I could hope for."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could write like this!, July 6, 2004

By 

Erin (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia (Hardcover)

Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish, like all of his Amelia Bedelia books, is hysterically funny. Parish's use of expressions confuse Mr. Rogers' maid, Amelia Bedelia, throughout the entire story. Poor, silly, Amelia Bedelia never realizes how confused she really is. She takes everything anyone says literally, so when her boss Mr. Rogers says "jump in the car", she thinks that he actually means to sit in the car and jump.
In this story, Amelia Bedelia goes to the doctor. However, when she gets there the nurse asks for Amelia Bedelia's help with the patients. A woman who calls the doctor's office to complain that she has "caught a bug" is told to "let it go" by Amelia Bedelia. She proceeds to tell a woman who has hives to bring some honey to the doctor's office. She looks at a bank's clock to take a patient's temperature and she tells a boy to draw his own blood onto a piece of blank paper. A boy says that he is at the office for a test and Amelia Bedelia tells him that he must go to school.
No matter what Amelia Bedelia did for most of the book, she is a hit when she "treats" the patients to ice cream! This is not exactly what the nurse had in mind when she said to treat the patients, however, Amelia Bedelia comes out looking like a hero!
Amelia Bedelia is entertaining to the adults who read this story to children because we have an even better sense of Amelia Bedelia's silliness. I love reading this story to my second graders and they love hearing it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun!, December 5, 2011

By 

Beth H. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book 2) (Paperback)

My son and I love Amelia Bedelia. These books are great for young readers. It's refreshing to find books that get kids to laugh without resorting to potty humor. Plus, I really enjoy reading these books with my son.)
This book is a little bit silly....but overall, something I recommend for getting some laughs during reading time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Hilarious Children's Book I have read to date, July 15, 2011

By 

J. Austin (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book 2) (Paperback)

My daughter, husband and I rolled with laughter while reading this book. It has to be the most hilarious children's book we have read to date. Definite winner for all ages!