for reading aloud. The nephew of the original Amelia Bedelia creator, Peggy Parish, continues his mission to keep the literal-minded housekeeper alive for today's children. In this, his third effort, Amelia Bedelia runs for the mayor's office (literally) after Mr. Rogers, her employer, complains that the mayor never does what he says he will do. This story offers more typical Amelia Bedelia fun as she throws her hat in the ring and promises to fill all the potholes, because, after all, you can't cook in pots with holes. After shaping up the mayor, Amelia Bedelia goes back to her zany life at the Rogers' house, but not without teaching kids something important about campaigning: mainly to listen to what people are really saying. As always, Lynn Sweat's energetic art suits nicely. (Reviewed August 1999)

The ever-literal Amelia Bedelia believes her employer Mr. Rogers when he says that because she always keeps her promises she should "run for the mayor's office." Short sentences, amusing illustrations, and lots of white space on each page will attract beginning readers, and Amelia Bedelia's fans will enjoy feeling smarter than the predictable, endearingly foolish heroine.

Gr 1-3 Amelia Bedelia always does exactly what people tell her to do, so when her employer says he wishes she would run for the mayor's office, she dashes down to city hall. Although Amelia never meant to do anything more than literally run to the office, an encounter with the mayor and a reporter soon has her in the thick of a political campaign. Such literal mindedness is what gives Amelia her charm, and there are plenty of instances of humorous confusion in this latest installment in the series. If not quite to the level of the original titles written by Peggy Parish, the author's nephew does a satisfactory job of carrying on the traditions of wordplay and wacky complications that have made Amelia Bedelia such a beloved character. Readers will recognize Sweat's watercolor and black-pen illustrations from the earlier books. Most libraries should find this title to be a popular selection. Melissa Hudak, Northern Illinois Medical Center, McHenry, IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.