Peggy Parrish author page

Peggy Parish biography

Peggy Parish was an American author best known for creating the children’s book character Amelia Bedelia. Born Margaret Cecile Parish on July 14, 1927, in Manning, South Carolina, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of South Carolina in 1948. Parish also completed graduate studies at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in 1950.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Parish taught school in Oklahoma, Kentucky, and New York. She spent over 15 years at the Dalton School in Manhattan, where she taught third grade and began writing children’s books. Her first published work, My Little Golden Book of Manners, appeared in 1961.

In 1963, Parish introduced Amelia Bedelia, a literal-minded housekeeper whose misunderstandings of everyday idioms lead to humorous situations. The inspiration for the character came from Parish’s observations of her students’ language confusions and her own experiences with domestic work. The first book, Amelia Bedelia, was illustrated by Fritz Siebel and published by Harper & Row.

Parish authored a total of twelve Amelia Bedelia books, including Thank You, Amelia Bedelia (1964), Come Back, Amelia Bedelia (1971), and Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping (1985). She also wrote other children’s titles such as Dinosaur Time (1974) and the Liza, Bill & Jed mystery series, which includes Key to the Treasure (1966) and Clues in the Woods (1968).

In addition to writing, Parish was active in education, conducting television segments on preschool education, writing children’s book reviews, and leading teacher workshops. She emphasized the importance of engaging children with reading material that interested them, believing that reading skills could be taught outside traditional textbooks.

Parish passed away on November 19, 1988, in Manning, South Carolina. At the time of her death, she had written over 30 books, with more than 7 million copies sold. In 1995, her nephew, Herman Parish, continued the Amelia Bedelia series, beginning with Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia.