Amelia Bedelia



Amelia Bedelia is a series of American children's books featuring the title character, a Literal Minded housekeeper whose failure to understand basic English metaphors leads to much of the comedy of the series. The series was written by Peggy Parish until her death in 1988, and by her nephew Herman Parish beginning in 1995. The books have been illustrated by Wallace Tripp, Fritz Siebel, and Lynn Sweat, the current illustrator.

The character of Amelia Bedelia was based on a maid in Cameroon, where the author spent some time during her formative years. Her vast collection of hats, notorious for their extensive plumage, inspired her to write an assortment of tales based on her experiences in North Africa.

by Peggy Parish

 * Amelia Bedelia (1963)
 * Thank You, Amelia Bedelia (1964)
 * Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower (1966)
 * Come Back, Amelia Bedelia (1971)
 * Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia (1972)
 * Good Work, Amelia Bedelia (1976)
 * Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia (1977)
 * Amelia Bedelia Helps Out (1979)
 * Amelia Bedelia and the Baby (1981)
 * Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping (1985)
 * Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia (1986)
 * Amelia Bedelia's Family Album (1988)

by Herman Parish

 * Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia (1995)
 * Bravo, Amelia Bedelia! (1997)
 * Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor (1999)
 * Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia (2002)
 * Amelia Bedelia and the Christmas List (2003)
 * Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm (2003)
 * Happy Haunting, Amelia Bedelia (2004)
 * Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School (2004)
 * Be My Valentine, Amelia Bedelia (2004)
 * Amelia Bedelia, Rocket Scientist? (2005)
 * Amelia Bedelia's Masterpiece (2007)
 * Amelia Bedelia Under Construction (2007)
 * Amelia Bedelia and the Cat (2008)
 * Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School (2009)
 * Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine (2009)

This book series contains examples of:

 * Blunt Metaphors Trauma
 * Entendre Failure
 * Hair Decorations: The kid version of Amelia Bedelia wears a flower in her hair and a barrette.
 * Exact Words
 * Full-Name Basis
 * Genius Ditz: For all her linguistic failings, Ms. Bedelia is a phenomenal cook.
 * Insult Backfire: "Go jump in a lake"? She already did that while "catching a fish" with her hands.
 * Literal Minded
 * Long Runners
 * Meido
 * Spinoff Babies: "Amelia Bedelia's First X" books
 * Supreme Chef: Amelia can work her way out of any situation with her aforementioned fantastic cooking.
 * Ultimate Job Security: Amelia screws up basically every order she's given, often in incredibly stupid ways, and she still keeps her job.
 * The above trope, Supreme Chef, explains that last part. In one book this Troper remembers, Amelia Bedelia spent the whole day screwing up her chores, but then she baked this insanely delicious cake, and that caused her employers to forgive her earlier mistakes. Yes, apparently her cooking is that good.
 * Visual Pun