Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia: A Fun Picture Book About Literal Interpretation for Kids (Ages 4-8)

Amelia Bedelia #13

by Herman Parish, Lynn Sweat (Illustrator)

When Mr. Rogers goes for a drive with Amelia Bedelia, he's in for the ride of his life. She does exactly what he tells her –– and that gets them into trouble, but only Amelia Bedelia can make a car trip this much fun!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Chapter Books, 1st Grade, Comedy

48 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 1995

About the author

Herman Parish (born 1953) is the author of Amelia Bedelia children's book series, nephew of original author, Peggy Parish. Having grown up with his aunt’s tales of Amelia’s humorous misadventures, Herman decided to carry on the legacy after his aunt’s death in 1988. He did not wish to entrust the future of the series into the hands of a children’s author outside of the family. Since Peggy had the summers off from teaching, she was able to stay with the Parish family for extended periods of time, allowing Herman and Peggy to develop a close relationship. More importantly, this gave Herman a chance to keenly observe Peggy during her writing processes, gaining great insight to the road ahead of him. To carry on the essence of the series, Herman thoroughly examined his aunt’s work and did his best to capture what exactly made the character of Amelia Bedelia such a hit. Having editor Susan Hirschman and illustrator Lynn Sweat in common with his aunt helped to make the transition. He has added thirteen more books to the series. Herman is a resident of Princeton, New Jersey, and travels to libraries and schools across the United States, speaking and inspiring young children. The importance of revising and editing is often stressed during these dynamic lectures. He has presented to students in more than 22 states.

-Wikipedia

***The photo at left is of Herman with his aunt, Peggy Parish, in 1985.

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading the “Amelia Bedelia” books ever since I was little and I used to read this series at my school library. I had actually forgot that I had owned one of the “Amelia Bedelia” books ever since I was little and it was a little book called “Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia,” which was written by Peggy Parish’s nephew, Herman Parish along with artwork by Lynn Sweat. This book was such a treat to read through!

It was Amelia Bedelia’s birthday and Mr. and Mrs. Rogers decided to give Amelia Bedelia the day off to celebrate. It was then that Amelia Bedelia told them that she will go and visit her cousin Alcolu and Mr. Rogers said that he will come with Amelia Bedelia to see her cousin. Unfortunately, Amelia Bedelia has not driven a car in a while and whenever Mr. Rogers tried to give Amelia Bedelia directions to take on the road, Amelia Bedelia would either get everything mixed up or would take certain phrases seriously, such as when Mr. Rogers asks Amelia Bedelia to look for a fork in the road, Amelia Bedelia thought that Mr. Rogers meant to find silverware in the road.

Will Amelia Bedelia and Mr. Rogers be able to make it to the birthday party?

Read this book to find out!

Wow! I never would have thought that Herman Parish would be able to bring out the same type of humor that was present in Peggy Parish’s “Amelia Bedelia” books! Herman Parish did a fantastic job at writing this book as we get to see more adventures from Amelia Bedelia and the Rogers and the adventures here are just as hilarious as ever! When it came to the “Amelia Bedelia” books, I was always laughing out loud at Amelia Bedelia constantly getting things mixed up or not quite understanding what other people are saying. So, when I came across a “Amelia Bedelia” book where Amelia Bedelia is learning how to drive, I just had to see how this situation will turn out with Amelia Bedelia at the helm! Lynn Sweat’s artwork is truly cute to look at as I loved the clothing style of Amelia Bedelia herself as she is always dressed in a black dress with a white apron that shows off her status as the Rogers’ maid.

Overall, “Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia” is a treat to behold, especially if you are a huge fan of the “Amelia Bedelia” series! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m only logging this, because I need to log it for my reading challenge * hehe*
Well, this isn’t the first time I’ve read this. But every time I read it, it makes me smile. I love Amelia Bedelia, and her books. :)

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the book because Amelia Bedelia thought there was a bear on the road

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story time read.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I laughed aloud while reading this and so did my siblings as I read it. It is just full of hilarious puns and wordplay—much funnier than most Amelia Bedelia books!

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia is a super funny book by Herman Parish. It's Amelia's birthday, and she's going to visit Cousin Alcolu. But they get lost with Mr. Rogers! Amelia's directions are hilarious – she brings back tape and pink paper for north, south, and more.

My most favorite part is when Mr. Rogers gets mad and pops the tire. He's so frustrated, but Amelia just says they're "right here." Silly!

Then, a tow truck helps them and they finally get to Amelia's party. Guess what? Cousin Alcolu is already there! So funny, right? All that trouble for nothing.

But the best part is when Mr. Rogers tells Cousin Alcolu that Amelia is the best gift. It's such a nice thing to say.

If you like adventures that make you laugh and belly laugh, you'll love this book. It's full of silly moments and surprises. And Cousin Alcolu is a cool visitor!

This book is amazing, and I can't wait for you to see my full review on my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/T3ljex91Eos

[☀️Carden☀️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOL.

Was my first reaction when I grabbed this book.

“Mr. Rogers was about to blow up. But the tire beat him to it.”

This is followed by:
“KA-POWIE!”

I know I am a teenager who loves diving into young adult novels that deal with elements like thrills and romance but I am a sucker for a good wacky funny children’s story book.

I snorted,I cried and my humor couldn’t control itself. As if by magic,I am suddenly delighted by this wacky house keeper. A clean witty cleaned version of the classic Mary Poppins. Except very clueless and not in the slightest close to perfection.

Amelia was stupid but a funny stupid and not the stupid like you don’t what to do but more like down to earth funny. And that’s why I loved it.

Not only does it manage to make you lose your common sense because literally nothing makes sense in here but it knocked me off my high horse (credit goes to a good reads user who commented this. LOL.)

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Herman Parish's continuation of the series started by his mom Peggy, Amelia is now driving.....driving Mr Rogers bonkers! AB has a driver's license, but Mr Rogers knows that it takes more than a license to be a driver, so he and AB head to a country road to test her driving. Sure enough the old cliche about the words "right and left" are in play, as well as the overused pun about the "fork in the road" but it's a fun read all the way, and look! The two actually live to see Amelia's cousin Alcolu at Amelia's birthday bash! Wry chuckles and the heart of Amelia Bedelia are what DRIVE the narrative! Amelia is still the star of the American road!
Four stars
Amelia, like Volkswagen, does it again!

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book from L's recent Amelia Bedelia kick. I think this may have been my favorite of the ones she and I have read together so far, with its play on "bear"ing left and forks in the road. I do have to say, though, Mr. Rogers gives his housekeeper a lot of last minute days off. Like, he gave her her birthday off in this book to do a driving lesson, and in the previous book we read he gave her the day off to be an editor at the school paper (why not?!). It's nice for Amelia Bedelia that he has such flexibility, haha.

[ElizondoKids · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading Amelia Bedelia books as a kid and loving them. We've tried them multiple times with our kids, and it just goes over their heads. I think they might need to be older to "get" the puns. My kids are 8, 5, 3.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly, happy. Lively explanatory watercolors. You may pay more attention to word meanings for a while after this. Author changes to nephew, but birthday- celebrating housekeeper Amelia can still drive us and employer Mr Rogers around the bend with her literal misinterpretations, when he takes her driving in the country. Herd of cows for "heard", steer for male cow, no angry crossroad, and more.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia has a day off and wants to go visit her cousin. Mr. Rogers will lend her a car if she can drive well enough. Well....

[Annie MacPherson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly! Good early readability, but unfortunately feels dated.

[Julie Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Amelia Bedelia books are the best. They always made me laugh.

[Reagan Nase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally so funny

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series can get super repetitive when your 7-year-old is in love with it, but she absolutely died with this one and enjoyed it so much the whole house was laughing with her in spite of ourselves!

[Rilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amelia Bedelia’s literal take on life gets her into trouble when she takes Mr. Rogers out for a drive in this book. Amelia Bedelia takes Mr. Rogers for a ride in the car. Mr. Rogers quickly finds out that he is in some trouble because Amelia Bedelia interprets everything that Mr. Rogers says literally and it gets them into sticky situations. Thankfully, they eventually arrive at their destination safely.

This is a great book but it is not believable as a whole. Although many people will take things literally and make mistakes like Amelia Bedelia did. However, it is unlikely that just one person would take everything literally like she does, which makes this story less believable.

The humor and charm of Amelia Bedelia shine through in this book and is a gem in any library or on any bookshelf. Children will love her quirky antics and silly mistakes. I would highly recommend this book to children.

[Rhonda Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Driving by Herman Parish is another humorous and comedy story of Amelia Bedelia. In this story it is Amelia's birthday so her father Mr. Rogers gives her his car. She doesn't know how to drive but she still does and their drive is somewhat dangerous for the most part. She literally does what her dad tells her to do while she is driving. It is a very funny story to read especially for students in the first or second grade! I think that a lot of children will find this reading fun and adventurous as they get to experience Amelia's driving. Just like the rest of the serious, the illustrations are similar. Amelia is still the same character but gets to sit in the driver seat, in control of her own vehicle as she learns to drive with her father by her side. In this comedy story there are not so much words but enough to be simple and understandable for easy readers. They will find that Amelia Bedelia is not your average adult, she seems almost a kid at heart!

[Stephen Dalton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good Driving, Amella Bedella, is a book by Herman Perish and Lynn Sweat that describes a short story of how on Amella Bedella's birthday her Dad gives her his car, but Amella does not know how to drive yet. Her dad allows her to drive anyway, and from there the book gives a humorous story. I felt the book was funny, but when the same comedy kept re-occurring it became annoying in a way. This book is in a major series of books, over 20 books in this novel have been written. I recommend this book to anyone in the 1'st grade or above, as it is a very simple book. This book reminds me of other simple books, like a simpler version of Diary of a wimpy kid. But who knows what could happen to Amella Bedella next? Could she finally learn to drive a car alone? What could happen next?

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was our first Amelia Bedelia book although I'd heard the name dozens of times of the years. At first I wasn't very impressed and thought this would be the first, and last, book we ever read with this character.
Then part of me started getting into it. It's simple but Amelia's way of misunderstanding and taking everything so literally is actually quite humorous.
I don't think I could take too many books in a short period of time like this but once in awhile I can see us reading one. I'm a little surprised, even though this was okay, at how many people know and love her character.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha! Ha! This one hit the spot. This Amelia Bedelia book was silly rather than idiotic. Herman Parish portrays A.B. as a basket case rather than the complete fool that Peggy Parish makes her out to be. The language in this may be a touch more advanced than the original....

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good, students would enjoy it because it's about her birthday. She re-learns how to drive a car with her boss. After she came back her family and friends through a surprise birthday party for her.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these books when I was a child, and still have memories of the stupid tales that make me smile. These books are great if you have a child in the family--even more so if you are a child at heart.

[Madonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Amelia Bedelia. I have loved and remembered so many of her books ever since I began reading them in 2nd grade. Students love to laugh at the way Amelia Bedelia makes mistakes. It's a funny book and a quick transition time book. Can be used as a filler transition.

[Rochelle Sondae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Can Read! Level 2 Reading with Help

This and all of the newer Amelia Bedelia titles are written by the nephew of the original author. The newer ones are still illustrated by Lynn Sweat although some of the characters are slightly different than in earlier stories.

[Rebecca Waack]

This book is about Amelia Bedelia practicing driving to go see her cousin on her birthday. She tries to find an actual fork in the road, directional signs rather than asking for directions, and instead of honking the horn in the car she pushes on the horn of the cow next to her car.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think i got this for my sixteenth birthday, or it was regifted

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Amelia Bedilia. Always have, always will. Great fun to read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I don't think Amelia Bedelia books are particularly funny. But this one was a lot of fun!

[Cws]

JEAR2-Par