Parents' Guide to Amelia Bedelia

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Common Sense Media Review

By Jennifer Gennari , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 6+

Literal-minded housekeeper in fun easy reader.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 6+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 5+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 5+

Based on 2 kid reviews

What's the Story?

When, on her first day as the Rogers's maid, Amelia Bedelia follows directions to dust the furniture, she applies a coat of dusting powder to it, and by the time she "draws" the drapes, children will giggle over her silly mistakes. This classic about the housekeeper who follows her chore list literally features cartoonlike illustrations that are simple and charming.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 3 ):
Kids say ( 2 ):

Children never fail to laugh over Amelia's blunders, making her a perennial early-reader favorite, and the book's artwork is delightful. Parents may weary of the Amelia Bedelia series, especially as many of the gender roles are stereotyped and the vocabulary and setting are outdated. But children return to Amelia Bedelia again and again because she makes them feel smart: They can read the text's straightforward vocabulary and are more clever than Amelia.

The artwork is simple and eye-catching. Amelia's expression is cheerful and hardly ever worried.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about misunderstandings. Have you ever gotten into a situation like Amelia because you misunderstood something? Talk about homonyms and idioms, and come up with other examples.

Book Details

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