Upcoming is the Home Town of "Too Many Rabbits!"

Hear this… HERE!


Exit 115  I-95n in SC To: US 301, to Summerton, Manning South Carolina


“Ok Kids listen up. And I mean kids. Time for a Road Test. Now get ready for the Fast Facts. Do you know who Amelia Bedelia is? Well her creator, Peggy Parish,  was born right here in Manning, South Carolina. ​

Peggy was born to a poor family, attended the University of South Carolina, and found work as a teacher in New York City where she taught at the ritzy Dalton School.    ​

Dalton’s students tend to be the children of Wall Streeters, Media types and famous celebs. Robert Redford’s kids went there. Heck, many of the students themselves went on to be famous.  Chevy Chase, Claire Danes, and Anderson Cooper are Dalton grads.   ​

Maybe no coincidence, Peggy Parish published her first kid's book while teaching third grade there. She went on to author over 30 books. At the time of her death in 1988, the lady from Manning had sold 7 million copies. That is HUGE!  I do declare: The lady author from Manning may be more famous than most of those fancy folks from New York City!


Parish's most well-known character is Amelia Bedelia. Amelia is a little daffy. She tends to interpret verbal expressions literally which causes great havoc. 

This idea originated in conversations with her third grade students. 


Amelia works as a household cook, a job that Peggy Parish did when she was young. Amelia Bedelia uses no recipes, but, she combines a little bit of this and a little  bit of that. Remarkably, her food is always delicious. She is such a good chef that her employers just cannot bring themselves to fire her. This despite the disastrous way she misinterprets their every instruction. 


Imagine kids interpreting these commands literally: “Heat a can of soup… scale the fish… file the letters… serve coffee with cereal. Yuck! Coffee in cereal? Amelia Bedelia's simplicity appeals to youngsters who are beginning to see more than one meaning in a word or a phrase.

In fact, the Franchise was so successful that Peggy's nephew Herman Parish has taken up the pen to continue the saga of Amelia Bedelia.  ​

Do you know any of the titles? 


Some of Peggy’s best known books are entitled:  AMELIA BEDELIA AND THE SURPRISE SHOWER, Amelia Bedelia Helps Out, Teach Us Amelia Bedelia, COME BACK AMELIA BEDELIA, and that all time favorite, "TOO MANY RABBITS!" 


However, the folks at RoadSpoke have their own personal favorite: “GOOD DRIVING AMELIA BEDELIA”


Now who can forget that one?


Well, maybe you can, Dear Driver.  So let’s see. Here is the Road Test: How many millions of Books has Peggy Parish sold?  Three seconds to answer. Three. And Two. And one. If you said seven million you would be correct! Now go to the head of the class. .. er um car. No actually just sit where you are. Another fast fact will be upon you shortly.”




#TheDaltonSchool #PeggyParish #AmeliaBedelia #AndersonCooper #ClaireDanes #ChevyChase #RobertRedford #UniversityofSouthCarolina #RoadTest #FastFacts

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