I'm always dumbfounded by the fact that there can be so many Amelia Bedelia books -- and that my family has so many in our personal library. It's a one-joke series, wherein Amelia Bedelia acts the fool, being incredibly obtuse and literal about everyday idioms and words.

This iteration has her Christmas shopping and getting the correct presents despite her constant attempts at buying something entirely wrong.

The only thing in the book that piqued my curiosity were all the tall, vertical presents Amelia Bedelia's friends give her on the last page. Are they all liquor bottles, perhaps giving us a cue as to why Amelia Bedelia's mind is so addled? Or are they all sex toys, offering another reason why she may have trouble focusing on day-to-day life? ( )