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Amelia Bedelia Special Edition Holiday Chapter Book #1: Amelia Bedelia Wraps It Up



Last updated Thursday, December 8, 2022

Author: Herman Parish
Illustrator: Lynne Avril
Date of Publication: 2020
ISBN: 0062962043
Grade Level: 4th    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Dec. 2022

Synopsis: It's the holiday season, and Amelia Bedelia doesn't have enough money to buy presents for anyone. But that won't stop Amelia Bedelia! Along with her friends, she decides to launch a gift-wrapping business in order to make some extra cash. But wrapping presents with Amelia Bedelia is far from ordinary! And when the business expands to include tree decorating, popcorn popping, snow shoveling, and carol singing, you can bet that the misunderstandings are many!

Note to readers:
•  Amelia Bedelia is the protagonist and title character of a series of American children's books written by Peggy Parish from 1963 until her death in 1988, and by her nephew, Herman, beginning in 1995. The original 12 books were about adult Amelia. In 2009, Herman began writing books about Amelia Bedelia's own childhood experiences, starting with Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School. This is the 3rd Amelia Bedelia book we have read in our Reading to Kids Reading Clubs over the past 22 years.
•  This is a BEAUTIFUL hardcover book, especially with the shiny dust cover. Even though we don't often do picture walks for the upper grades, it would be nice to do for this particular book.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  The stories involve Amelia Bedelia's repeatedly misunderstanding various figures of speech and various terminology literally, causing her to perform incorrect actions with a comical effect. For example, she interprets a request to "put the lights out" as a request to physically put the light bulbs outside. There is more than one way to say things.Who has had this happen to them?

Vocabulary:

•  HOMOGRAPHS AND HOMOPHONES Homographs are words that are spelled and often sound the same but have different meanings, such as cast (performers in a play) and cast (what someone wears to fix a broken leg). Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, such as flu and flew. Both are sometimes called homonyms.
•  IDIOMS Idioms are figures of speech or common expressions that can easily be misunderstood by someone who has not heard them before. Generate a list of idioms that students find in the book as you go through it.

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  What makes the books funny?
•  Does Amelia Bedelia think she is funny?
•  Do other characters think she is funny?
•  See how many of these figures of speech (Idioms, Homonyms, and Homophones) you can recognize as you go through the book. There is a listing on pages 130-131. Did you catch them all?
•  How do you wrap presents? Is there something special you do?
•  How do you help your family and friends?

Craft ideas:
•  Create your own special wapping paper, bag, or box starting with plain paper or a lunch bag (in the craft boxes of some of the schools) and pom-poms and shapes cut out of colored paper, such as Christmas tree motives (simple green triangles flued on with trunks drawn in pen.) Examples at https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/december-2022-family-the-spirit-of-giving/4th-amelia-bedelia-wraps-it-up/
•  Create poinsettia decorations for your packages or gifts using red and yellow paper. Instructions at https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/december-2022-family-the-spirit-of-giving/4th-amelia-bedelia-wraps-it-up/

Special activities:
•  Do the word search.

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!