Amelia Bedelia Means Business

December 17, 2012
Amelia Bedelia fans will welcome her bumbling leap (in a good way) into a new chapter-book series. Although the character turns 50 in 2013, this book follows the literal-minded heroine’s exploits and misunderstandings as a pigtailed girl. When Amelia’s mother remarks that the fancy bike that her daughter covets must cost an arm and a leg, Amelia replies that she’d never pay that much. “You need both your arms to steer a bike like that, and both legs to pedal it.” Her parents’ offer to split the cost of a bike with her leads to a short-lived job at a diner; a customer who’s in a rush orders pie, telling her to “step on it”—no surprise what happens next. Amelia’s second job ends equally disastrously after she opens a lemonade stand at a car dealership, with a sign that advertises “Lots of Lemons!” Parish and Avril bring this zingy novel to a conclusion that is chaotic, even by Amelia Bedelia’s standards, proving that her legacy is in capable hands. Available simultaneously: Amelia Bedelia Unleashed. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–10.

April 1, 2013

Gr 2-4-Beginning chapter-book readers can meet the young Amelia Bedelia and enjoy her literal take on the world around her. In Business, the homophonic-challenged girl is looking for ways to earn money for a new bike. She encounters all sorts of mayhem as she helps out at the local diner, sells stolen flowers, has a run-in with the local police, and tries her luck selling drinks at her lemonade sit. (After all why should customers have to stand?) Wordplay abounds as Amelia "steps on it," splattering pie on a customer at a diner and taking each word to heart. Her parents are helpful in explaining meanings to her, but readers will laugh out loud as she navigates her way through a variety of business opportunities. In Unleashed, Amelia Bedelia searches for the perfect puppy. Her parents encourage her to learn about different breeds by helping her neighbor with her dog-walking business. While out walking several of the dogs, Amelia meets her friend Charlie and his pedigreed poodle. He invites her to help get Pierre "show ready" with a bath and coat trim. Things go badly awry, and the two friends have two hours to find the dog and figure out a way to fix his coat in time for the show. In both books, the illustrations bring the characters and plot to the forefront, and well-designed drawings provide reluctant readers with dynamic and whimsical visual cues. Rendered in gouache and black pencil, the artwork splashes across the pages. Sure to be favorites on the early chapter-book shelves.-Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
Grades 2-4 Incorporating wordplay, puns, and humor, the first title in the new Amelia Bedelia Chapter Books series brings Peggy Parish's classic character, here school-age, to a slightly older audiencecourtesy of her nephew, Herman Parish. After seeing snarky classmate Kaite-Lynne's fancy new bike, Amelia Bedelia wants one, too, but earning money isn't easy. An apprentice-waitressing opportunity goes awry when a hurried customer requests, Bring me a piece of pieand step on it! and well-meaning but ever-literal-minded Amelia Bedelia does both, with messy results. Her lemonade stand's locale and festive sign (Lots of Lemons) garners attention, but it's not the kind of publicity a used-car-lot owner appreciates. But, ultimately, and happily, there are silver linings, too. With the spirit and flair that epitomized the original character, Amelia Bedelia's an earnest, appealing protagonist whose interpretationsand inadvertent misinterpretationsoften lead to a great hullabaloo. Although the wordplay is occasionally challenging (e.g. like understanding lemon in reference to a car, or the idiom Cut the mustard) this is an enjoyable, entertaining read. Final illustrations not seen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)