Amelia Bedelia (book)

Before you even know my name, you can feel the giggles tucked between my pages. I am made of paper and ink, but I am filled with surprises and silliness. My words love to play tricks, and my pictures show a very special lady in a maid's uniform with a flowery hat. She tries so hard to be helpful, but she always seems to get things wonderfully, hilariously wrong. When she is asked to 'draw the drapes,' she doesn't pull them closed—she gets out a sketchbook and a pencil. Can you imagine that? I am a story waiting to make you laugh. I am the book, 'Amelia Bedelia.'

My story began in the mind of a wonderful writer named Peggy Parish. In the early 1960s, she was a teacher who understood that words can be very tricky, especially for children who are just learning their meanings. She had a brilliant idea for a character who took every single instruction literally, which she knew would lead to the funniest situations. She carefully wrote down my words, crafting the story of my main character, Amelia Bedelia, and her very first day working for the Rogers family. By 1963, my story was ready to be shared with the world. But I wasn't complete without my pictures. An artist named Fritz Siebel read my words and brought Amelia Bedelia to life with his charming drawings. He gave her a kind, cheerful face and her signature hat decorated with daisies. Together, Peggy's words and Fritz's art turned me from an idea into a real book that children could hold in their hands, published for the first time on March 18th, 1963.

When I first arrived in libraries and bookstores, children quickly discovered the fun inside me. They would read about Mrs. Rogers leaving a long list of chores for Amelia Bedelia. They’d gasp and then giggle when Amelia Bedelia 'dusted the furniture' by sprinkling sweet-smelling dusting powder all over it, or 'put out the lights' by hanging all the lightbulbs on a clothesline outside. It was a recipe for fun. Parents and teachers loved me, too, because I was a playful way to teach children about idioms—those tricky phrases that don't mean exactly what the words say. I showed them that language is like a fun puzzle waiting to be solved. Because so many people loved my first adventure, Peggy Parish wrote many more stories about Amelia Bedelia's mix-ups, and I became the first of a big, happy family of books that stretched on for years.

Even though many years have passed since 1963, I still have a special job. My creator, Peggy Parish, sadly passed away on November 19th, 1988, but my story didn't end there. Her nephew, Herman Parish, who grew up loving Amelia Bedelia, picked up the pen to make sure her adventures could continue for new generations of kids. He started writing new books about me in 1995. Today, when you open my cover, you are connecting with a story that has made people laugh for a very long time. I am more than just a book; I am a reminder that it's okay to make mistakes, that there is joy in being a little bit silly, and that the world of words is a magical place to explore. I hope I can always make you smile and wonder, what funny thing will Amelia Bedelia do next?