Well, I’m happy that, you know, 50 years later Amelia Bedelia is still around. And my aunt once told me — I didn’t realize what she meant at the time until I began writing the books. But Peggy Parish had said, “You know, if I had known this character was going to be this popular, I would have named her something simpler.” I thought, “Well, I don’t know. I like the name. The name is good.” And I didn’t realize it until I started writing it and in the books when you say, “Said Amelia Bedelia,” that line is gone.
And so when you’re dealing with a limited amount of real estate with which to write, every time you say Amelia because she’s always Amelia Bedelia. It’s not just, “Said Amelia.” You use that name, that line’s gone. And so it sort of limits the amount of words you can have there. And it didn’t occur to me until I started writing the books that that’s what she meant. And I’m very glad that my aunt was around for at least the 25th anniversary, and I’m sure she, you know, I’m sure she knew that this was — this character was going to be dusting and un-dusting long after we’re all gone.
And I’m happy to be here to celebrate the 50th anniversary, and I hope, you know, I’m planning to take her places she hasn’t been before. And I hope kids will enjoy it.
