The late Peggy Parish, well known for her stories about Amelia
Bedelia, wrote many popular books for children, including
Dinosaur Time, illustrated by Arnold Lobel.
"I hate reading but your books are changing my opinion." This
letter, from a young Peggy Parish fan, comes as no surprise to the
teachers and librarians who have put her books in the hands of
children over the years. Ms. Parish wrote nearly three dozen
children's books-many of which include her most famous character,
the literal-minded maid named Amelia Bedelia.
Peggy Parish knew what children like to read. After graduating
from the University of South Carolina with a degree in English, she
taught school in Oklahoma, Kentucky, and, for over 15 years, at the
well-known, progressive Dalton School in New York City. It was at
Dalton that she began to find ways to release her creative ideas
and energy, Though she never took a writing course, "writing
stories for children came naturally." Her first book, published in
1961, was followed with Let's Be Indians and in 1963 with
her unforgettable Amelia Bedelia.
Always involved with education in some way, Peggy Parish did
television pieces on preschool education and children's books,
wrote children's-book review columns, and led numerous in-service
training workshops for teachers. In discussing her ideas about
education, she said, "Children's rights are taken away from them
when they enter school. What I try to show teachers is that all the
skills needed to read can be taught outside of textbooks. Today's
children are not going to read what they are not interested in. And
if a positive attitude toward reading is not developed during the
first three years of school, it is virtually impossible to develop
it later."
After living in New York for many years, Peggy Parish returned
to her native South Carolina. She died in November, 1988. But
Ameila Bedelia did not die. Peggy Parish's nephew, Herman Parish,
has written Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia and Bravo,
Amelia Bedelia!, published by Greenwillow Books in 1995 and
1997 respectively.