For a gal who's 44 years old, Amelia's looking pret-ty darn good! In fact, she hasn't aged a bit, thanks to Sweat's watercolor-and-pen drawings of the lovable housekeeper in her familiar hat, apron, and striped dress. The first Amelia book was published in 1963 as a 32-page "reader" that later became an I Can Read book. Now, 20 books later, her high jinks and wordplay have extended to 64 pages with more story and fewer t more involved laprops. Her visit to an art museum is framed with surprises as she accidentally foils a forgery attempt and catches the thief. A bust of a Roman (roamin') man, a realistic art installation, and figure paintings provide targets for cleaning, chuckles, and misinterpretations. The pagination cleverly puts the numbers on small paint tubes. Amelia's longevity is testimony to her popularity. You go, girl!

The silly housekeeper goes to a museum where, with a museum director named Arthur ("you can call me Art") and an aspiring sketch artist named Drew, there are lots of opportunities for Amelia to get mixed up. In the end, she foils a thief and saves the day. Friendly illustrations accompany the overlong story.