Amelia Bedelia
By Peggy ParishIllustrations by Fritz Siebel
Original Copyright 1963
Copyright Renewal 1991
The story was
talking about how Amelia had got a new job as somewhat of a housekeeper for an
older couple. They left her with just a note of what needed to be done. Amelia
did everything but she did it in the literal way rather than they way they
wanted and expected. So when the couple got home everything was done wrong and
they were upset but once Amelia gave them the special pie she made, they forgot
how mad they were and loved the pie.
Analysis:
When it
comes to stereotypes, I do see a lot of this. For instance the first example
that popped out to me was the fact that a female is doing the house work and
even dressed like a maid that we would see. This is a typical stereotype that
women do all the housework. I also thought the illustrations showed a nice
house inside and out and the way that the couple was dressed was far different
from how Amelia was dressed. This led me to believe they were wealthier than
Amelia. Then it actually quoted Amelia with the same idea, “Such a grand house.
These must be rich folks.” So based on what they had it was stereotyping that
they had money.
The couple
was upset at first when they came home and they thought that everything was
done wrong. When in fact everything was done but in the way that Amelia
interpreted it do be done. So they reacted negatively for this behavior but
when they tasted her pie they didn’t care how things were done they just loved
her cooking.
The fact
that the couple had hired Amelia, made it seem like the older couple had more
power and wealth over Amelia who was illustrated as being a younger woman. I
did not find this book too offensive or anything like that so yes I would
suggest this book to others. It does have a good story line about the fact that
people do things different from how you may do things or want them done.
Hello, I liked reading your post because it was very well explained. I have to say, it seems like the book brings the poor and the rich side of people which I think needs to be presented to children. For instance, at my job there are children who do not have computers at home, and other children always seem surprised! I have explained it many times, so I believe children should know the difference between poor and rich and need to have a visual explanation. I would want to read this book to my students.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
The old sterotype about a female maid and the clothes they wear is something I actually see a lot. Which today when you have a housekeeper it can be a male or dress in everyday clothes. The old maid outfit just remind me of halloween now LOL.
ReplyDeleteHello there. I use to read this book as a child. I have to admit that Amelia always drove me crazy because she took everything so literally. I laugh now as an adult at her silly interpretations.
ReplyDeleteI never really saw the stereotyping in the book like you did. Thank you for pointing it out for me.
Thanks for sharing this book. I've always like Amelia stories and would read them to my children and my preschool children I taught. Before this class I found the humor in her stories and i liked how cute the pictures were. But now that I'm aware of how books can teach racism and sterotypical roles for children I have to read it first.
ReplyDeleteYou did a nice job, but this report is quite short. I think you also needed to bring in the sexism of the story. I agree, I would also use this book, especially once children are old enough to really understand the "literal" humor. (perfect for 8 year olds) It does feel dated when I read it, and I would balance a book like this with books about women in strong roles. You did bring up the classism in the book, which is strong as well. This is not what I consider a quality book, but I would keep it for the humor.
ReplyDeleteI have read this book, a long time ago. I used to love Amelia books! I like how she was only left a note, but did it all in her own way, that is inspiring. I don’t think this book should necessarily be challenged by early childhood educators. I agree with the good points you brought up about the family being wealthy and having more power over Amelia. I also noticed this in the book. From personal life experiences, people with a big, nice house that dress nicely are stereotyped as wealthy. The fact that they were able to hire Amelia showed that they are classified as wealthy.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you analyzed the book you chose. I did not read this book, but it was easy for me to understand what it is about and what the author wanted to tell us by writing this book. You did a really good job on analyzing this book and I think that it would be great for kids to read this book and I'm sure it will teach them not to stereotype and do not have power over others.
ReplyDelete