A to Z Letter A

Welcome to A to Z April! I think this is the 3rd year I’ve participated and I am probably the least prepared this year. On the other hand, I already know what I’m doing for W and Z, two semi-tough letters.

ameliaWhen I was thinking about A things, I came up with quite a list – apples, April, avocado, apricot, astronaut, Amelia Earhart, agent. None was really striking me, then I remembered that well-loved character from kids books – Amelia Bedelia.

Everyone loves Amelia Bedelia, the literal-minded housekeeper. When she makes a sponge cake, she puts in real sponges. When she weeds the garden, she replants the weeds. And when she pitches a tent, she throws it into the woods. She’s wonderful, and so often right, even when she’s wrong. It’s fun watching her navigate the pitfalls of language. She takes everything literally and when you ask her to do something, she does exactly what you ask her.

Kids can be a lot like her, at least my kid can. Just last summer, I remember asking Amber to go out in the yard and get the yellow bucket down by the pool. Then I thought again and told her to bring back the bucket no matter what color it was, because even at 13 she would have come back saying there was no yellow bucket if it was blue instead.

The list of Amelia Bedelia books is huge, and I know we read several when Amber was little, although I couldn’t find any when I did a quick search in the basement. A quick search on Goodreads gives a list of 89 books. There’s even a new series of chapter books featuring a young Amelia that starts with Amelia Bedelia Means Business.

Last year they printed a 50th Anniversary edition of Amelia Bedelia that I’m guessing would make a great addition to anyone’s library.
amelia book

Amelia Bedelia, America’s favorite literal-minded housekeeper, is turning fifty! The Amelia Bedelia books have sold more than 27 million copies since 1963. Hearty congratulations to Amelia Bedelia-and long may she reign!Amelia Bedelia was first published in 1963. This special 50th anniversary edition of the very first book restores the original text, page design, jacket, and palette of the original volume. What else is the same? Well, the dressed chicken, dusted furniture, and that delicious lemon meringue pie, among other things. An additional eight pages of behind-the-scenes information about the beginnings of this iconic character, the author, the artist, and Amelia Bedelia’s exploits throughout the years is included.

We’ve loved Amelia for 50 years and I have a feeling we’ll be reading her stories for years to come.

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