ALA Booklist

Ever wonder how the venerable Amelia Bedelia became such a literalist? So did the children's author Herman Parish (nephew of Amelia's originator, Peggy Parish) and the kids he met during school visits. This introduction to the young Amelia shows that her curious take on language is in evidence early on. It's the first day of school, and right off, Amelia gets it wrong when Mrs. O'Malley says, "I teach gym," and Amelia responds, "I am not Jim." From there it's one misunderstanding after another, ending with the teacher telling Amelia to glue herself to her chair. Oh dear. Amelia wears her new picture-book format well. Illustrator Avril's depiction of the language-challenged character resembles Ramona Quimby (the Alan Tiegreen version), and she uses the enlarged space to good advantage as Amelia proceeds from classroom to cafeteria to art class, all of which are pitted with verbal minefields. Sometimes the misconceptions are too sophisticated for the age group, but mostly this works beautifully as a new way to encounter the gaffe-prone gal.

Horn Book

Readers are introduced to Amelia Bedelia as a child. Like the adult version, the youthful one takes everything literally. For instance, when her new teacher tells her to glue herself to her seat, Amelia Bedelia doesn't simply sit down, she follows the instructions exactly. The jokes are amusing (though a couple are somewhat forced). Cheerful illustrations reflect Amelia Bedelia's headlong enthusiasm.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

It's the first day of school for Amelia Bedelia—the concrete-thinking heroine of the long-running series, which, until now, has featured the character as an adult. As in previous books, Amelia's literalism results in amusing misunderstandings: Amelia's “name tag” has her sprinting through the room “playing tag,” and during “free time,” she does as her teacher's idiom—“Glue yourself to your seat”—requests. Readers will giggle over Amelia's mishaps, and her genuine joie de vivre may assuage first-day fears. Ages 4–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(July)

School Library Journal (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

PreS-Gr 2 Returning with her pun-filled humor and misunderstandings of certain expressions, Amelia Bedelia has her first day of school in this adventure. Her day is full of confusionshe thinks her teacher is playing tag when she tries to give her a nametag, and Amelia doesn't understand that she is supposed to say her name when roll is called. During craft time, Amelia's teacher tells her to glue herself to her seat, which she literally does. When Amelia is the only child left, Miss Edwards admits that it's her first day of school as well, which emphasizes the theme that it's okay to be nervous about new experiences. Children will laugh at Amelia Bedelia's antics, and in many cases, the illustrations enhance the text's humor. Not all of the jokes are explained, which gives parents and caregivers an opportunity to explain the sayings or children a chance to figure them out on their own. Young readers will relate to the emotions that Amelia feels, including enthusiasm for all of her activities and confusion about what she is supposed to be doing. The plot is cohesive, the characters are fully developed, and this book is comparable to other Amelia Bedelia titles by Herman Parish, but humor aside, it may not stand out in the broader field of children's literature. VERDICT Purchase where "Amelia Bedelia" books are popular or where additional back to school books are needed. Liz Anderson, DC Public Library