Parish, Peggy: Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower

Peggy Parish (1927–88) first created the beloved character Amelia Bedelia in 1963. She wrote a total of twelve books about the zany antics of the charming housekeeper. Peggy Parish’s nephew, Herman Parish, then carried her tradition into the twenty-first century with new stories about classic Amelia Bedelia and new books about her childhood. With total sales of 60 million copies, Amelia Bedelia is one of the most iconic children’s book characters of all time. Barbara Siebel Thomas is the daughter of Fritz Siebel, who illustrated the original Amelia Bedelia books. She worked as an art director before devoting full-time work to painting and illustrating. She lives in Bridgehampton, New York.