One of Amelia Bedelia's endearing qualities is her steadfast adherence to the literal meaning of what people say. The resulting mishaps present an ideal time to study idioms. Examples are the best way to explain idioms to young children -- start there rather than trying for a definition. Lead them through the idiom, "It's raining cats and dogs" to highlight the meaning (heavy rain) compared to the words used (of course actual dogs are not falling from the sky). In "Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia," point out that when Mrs. Rogers says that Christmas is just around the corner, Amelia Bedelia wonders which corner Mrs. Rogers is talking about. Ask the children to think of more examples of idioms.
Much of the humor and characterization in Amelia Bedelia books happens when Amelia misunderstands directions she has been given by Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Check to make sure children understand these episodes. Amelia has to make a date cake, but she cuts up calendar dates for the recipe. She stuffs six Christmas stockings as she would stuff a turkey. She trims the tree literally rather than decorating it, and puts lights on strings rather than stringing the lights by draping them around the Christmas tree. These are good points to stop and check for comprehension since they highlight literal versus figurative meanings, alternate word definitions and because the terms and steps may be unfamiliar to some children in this age group.
Amelia Bedelia, the Rogerses and Aunt Myra have clear personalities and moods that are apparent from their words and actions. Guiding children to come up with descriptions of these characters at various points in the story and asking them to point to evidence for their conclusions builds their skills in understanding characterization in fiction. Ask if the characters seem happy or sad or frustrated, then ask children to explain why they think so. For example, Mrs. Rogers seems angry when she "begins to splutter." Aunt Myra seems happy and enjoys Amelia's work; she says, "Amelia Bedelia, you're my kind of person." The illustrations in Amelia Bedelia books also aid understanding in this area.
Asking children to create their own writing based on setting, theme and characters in the text helps extend their understanding. Students could come up with a list of things that they might ask Amelia Bedelia to help them with to prepare for an event or holiday. Possibilities include their birthday party, Thanksgiving or preparations for the first day of school. Students can brainstorm ways that Amelia Bedelia might misunderstand directions and get things mixed up.