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| Herman Parish | |
Herman Parish, the longtime Greenwillow Books and HarperCollins author of the bestselling Amelia Bedelia books series, died February 10. He was 71. After a stint in the U.S. Navy, Parish had a 13-year career as an advertising copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, and other agencies before launching his career as an author.
He had been in the fourth grade when his aunt, Peggy Parish, created Amelia Bedelia. She went on to write 11 more books in the series before her death in 1988. The interest of educators and the enthusiasm of young readers prompted Herman Parish to continue the character in 1995 with his first book, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia. In the years since, he added 59 books to the series, including the bestselling Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm; and broke new ground in books portraying Amelia Bedelia as a young girl.
"She may be little, but she is as literal as ever," he often said. The series includes picture books for the youngest children like Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School and Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine. Young Amelia Bedelia also appears in I Can Read Level 1 beginning readers and in a series of chapter books, starting with Amelia Bedelia Means Business and Amelia Bedelia Unleashed.
The Amelia Bedelia books have sold more than 55 million copies worldwide, HarperCollins stated, adding that they "are beloved across all generations and have inspired countless readers on their journeys to literacy. Amelia Bedelia's optimistic attitude and aspirational can-do approach to life have made her one of the most iconic and memorable characters in children's literature."
In a statement, Greenwillow Books wrote: "Many of us at Greenwillow worked with Herman for more than 25 years and we were honored to do so. He cared deeply about bringing Amelia Bedelia to life for young readers and about making the very best book possible. We will fondly remember his snappy bow ties, his anecdotes and stories, his humor and kindness, his vision and fierce dedication to the timeless Amelia Bedelia, and his magic with words. Herman always knew exactly what Amelia Bedelia would do or say in any given situation--he was second to none and he always knocked it out of the park. We will miss him."