Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild

Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild is the fourth book in the Young Amelia Bedelia stories.

Sick as a Finally

Young Amelia Bedelia is sick with influenza, and bored of being stuck in bed playing with toys and watching nature shows while her classmates go to the zoo. Mrs.Bedelia serves her some soup, a grilled cheese sandwich and a banana. Young Amelia suddenly believes she has recovered, but gets a just-as-sudden dizzy flash. Young Amelia eats her banana the way a monkey does, but doesn't touch her other food as her flu has taken most of her appetite.

Not a Fit Night For Amelia Bedelia or Beast

Mr.Bedelia comes home from work and observes his daughter is still "sick as a dog". Finally Bedelia, who is asleep, sneezes and they wonder if, due to being a dog, she is sick (she is not.) Mr.Bedelia wonders if his daughter is "playing possum" and only pretending to be sick to skip the zoo trip (as if.) Mr.Bedelia eats the sandwich and notes a monkey escaped from the zoo. Sadly and sickly, Young Amelia drifts off to sleep and has a nightmare. In her nightmare, her bed is a jungle and her toys are drinking out of a waterhole. Outside in Dreamland, the clouds are shaped like flamingos, a giraffe eats the garage and a giant bunny and an otter are in Mrs.Bedelia's azaleas. Then, still in the dream, the class walks by, looking for the missing monkey. Finally is there, having recovered from an illness, and in the dream she can talk. When Young Amelia wakes up the next morning, Saturday, she has recovered and gotten a big idea.

Heard Instinct

At school, Young Amelia feels left out. Mrs. Shauk gives Young Amelia a toy monkey to cheer her up. Suzanne thinks it looks like the escaped monkey, Chip jokes that it looks like a baby and Daisy jokes that it looks like Young Amelia. Mrs. Shauk gives the class an assignment to do a report on an animal and Young Amelia chooses monkeys. She then gets confused over the meanings of "hear myself think", "no reading aloud" and "no reading allowed". Young Amelia then reads her Big Idea: My zoo by amelia bedelia. I was too sick to go to the zoo. I was very sad. So I set up my stuffed animals like they were in the zoo. I visited them in my room. That night, I dreamed there were animals in my backyard. There were all kinds of creatures, normal ones and weird ones. I dreamed that you all came to see them. Some of the animals were your pets, but dressed up like they were wild. That is why I have decided to make a zoo in my backyard. Come over to my house after school and help me plan what it will look like and what animals will be in it. Bring your pets too, if you would like them to be in my zoo. :). After a bit of quiet, everyone expresses approval.

Dog+Pony Show (and snakes and mice and everything else)

When Young Amelia arrives home, she asks Mrs.Bedelia if they have a lot of bananas. She is given two bananas and then maps her garden B.Z (Before Zoo). While swinging on the rope swing, Skip suggests making it part of the zoo, to swing over a pool of water, giving Young Amelia the idea to use her wading pool. He then yells, causing Mrs.Bedelia to mistakenly think he is hurt. Angel brings her ball python Squeezer. Roger brings a stuffed deer head. Penny brings her mouse Ozwald who they thought Squeezer ate, but it turns out she didn't. Young Amelia goes to bed early and dreams of the zoo.

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Amelia Bedelia

The next morning, there are banana peels scattered about. At school, Joy wants there to be big cats at the zoo. A boy offers his aunt's large cat. Mrs. Shauk tells the class about animals' signals. Wade, Holly and Teddy try to use animal signals and decide on the beeping noise a truck made. Mrs. Shauk says the zoo is a pie in the sky. Suzanne explains what that means.

Watched Like a Shauk

Heather suggests a chinchilla and Roger decides to bring his dead, frozen lizard George. Mrs. Shauk shockingly tells them the possibility of polar bears going extinct, then gives Young Amelia a talk after school. Young Amelia cloud-watches and she notes animal-shaped clouds and one shaped like a pie (in the sky)

Leapin' Lizards-a Glacial Gecko!

Roger brings the late George from Madagascar in the cooler. Clay visits and they talk of putting the late George's body in the birdbath to bury when he/it thaws out. They put it in the freezer. The Bedelias talk about the zoo at the table. At bedtime, Young Amelia gives her monkey toy a banana.

Pet Peeved

The banana has been eaten the next morning. The family talk about no dangerous pets allowed and the possibility of eating a banana with "relish". The then-children work on the zoo, but then a cross Mr.Bedelia shows his daughter he discovered Georgie's body. They put the body in a milk carton while Mrs.Bedelia is out. They discuss ba-a-a-ad lamb chops.

Monkey Shines

That evening, Young Amelia is deep in thought trying to think like a monkey. She discovered her car seat and decides to use it for a monkey trap. At bedtime, something at the window gives her a shock. Her parents don't find it. She sees a monkey in the moonlight.

Monkey Saw, Monkey Did.

Young Amelia and Pat build the trap and talk about what amazing things monkeys do. They also make signs saying "ENTER", "Exit", "DON'T FEED THE SNAKE", "LEMONADE", "PHoto SPOT", "SIGNS OF ANIMALS", "InsEct CROSSING" and Young Amelia's favorite: "Mrs. Shauk says: BE an ANiMAL". Dawn makes bunny ears. The monkey eats the banana in the trap and Chip and Heather make a simulator called the Hibernation Tunnel.

A Sheep in Sheep's Clothing

Friday, the day before the zoo, Pat and Young Amelia check the trap. Rose's mother sets up trampolines for jumping like a kangaroo. Penny and Nate make pretend woodpecker holes and tooth/claw marks on wood. The Bedelia family are about to have lamb chops for dinner, but when they see Wade's uncle Fred's ewe outside, they go for pizza instead.

Getting Skunked Twice

Finally had been skunked, so Diana washes it off, Young Amelia collects some skunk smell. She is not allowed to put another banana in the trap due to the skunk.

More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkey

Everyone is happy at the zoo. Then they hear beeping. A monkey is in the trap.

Monkey Show Business

Mr.Bedelia calls the zoo, who collect the monkey. Mrs.Shauk says that Young Amelia has a big imagination and she (Mrs.Shauk) would have to eat crow, which Young Amelia tells her not to eat. The monkey gives Young Amelia a banana to say goodbye.

Grim and Bear It

Now, it is time for George's funeral, which is a bit grim, but they decide that life can be grim sometimes. Roger kisses George's body and they bury him near the azaleas, promising to plant forget-me-nots on top of him. Fred picks up Gertrude and offers a cow, but they decline.