Written by Philip C. Stead
Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
2011 Caldecott Medal Winner
For Amos McGee, each day was pleasantly the same. He would wake early, dress for work, enjoy his breakfast, and catch the 6 a.m. bus to the city zoo. As zookeeper, he had lots of animal friends, and it was part of his routine to visit each of them everyday. He would play chess with the elephant, run races with the tortoise, sit quietly with the penguin, help the rhinoceros with his runny nose, and read stories to the owl. One day Amos' delightful routine was interrupted when he awoke with a horrible cold and had to stay home from work. The animals waited for their friend to arrive, but he never came. Surprisingly, the animals catch a bus to Amos' house! Amos was so excited to see his friends, and they carried out their usual activities as best they could with Amos being ill. He was well cared for and went to sleep that night feeling better, knowing he had so many great friends.
For Amos McGee, each day was pleasantly the same. He would wake early, dress for work, enjoy his breakfast, and catch the 6 a.m. bus to the city zoo. As zookeeper, he had lots of animal friends, and it was part of his routine to visit each of them everyday. He would play chess with the elephant, run races with the tortoise, sit quietly with the penguin, help the rhinoceros with his runny nose, and read stories to the owl. One day Amos' delightful routine was interrupted when he awoke with a horrible cold and had to stay home from work. The animals waited for their friend to arrive, but he never came. Surprisingly, the animals catch a bus to Amos' house! Amos was so excited to see his friends, and they carried out their usual activities as best they could with Amos being ill. He was well cared for and went to sleep that night feeling better, knowing he had so many great friends.A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a wonderful story about friendship and reciprocating the love that others extend. Amos had been a great friend to the animals, so when he was feeling down, they wanted to be great friends in return. Children are often fond of animals and develop a closeness with pets that sometimes feels like true friendship. This book reminded me of the hours I spent as a child talking to my dog and reading books to my cat, as if they were people. How fun it would have been if my pets could have interacted with me in the same way the zoo animals interacted with Amos McGee!
Erin Stead's pencil and woodblock illustrations give life to the book and tell the story beautifully. Her combination of color and black and white images create a full picture, but call attention to the elements that are most important. In addition, the use of somewhat muted colors livens up the story's pages without distracting readers from the graceful detail of Stead's drawings. Anyone who has ever dabbled in art must truly appreciate the skill required to create Amos' soft hair or the subtle lines in the elephant's skin. A Sick Day for Amos McGee's unique illustrations are truly worthy of special recognition.
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