A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a gentle tale filled with old fashioned charm.
This tranquil picture book begins by followimg Amos as he rises from his bed and prepares for his day at work …. as a zoo keeper! Short sentences on each page whimsiclally describe the quirky interactions Amos has with his animals,
“run races with the tortoise (who never ever lost),”
The structure of the story is then mirrored the following day when Amos is sick and the animals wait …. until they decide to hop on the bus (!?!) and repay the kindness Amos has shown to them.
“The penguin sat quietly, keeping Amos’s feet warm.”
The beautiful, delicate pencil drawings which could easily tell the story on their own are amazingly lifelike, capturing the personalities of each character perfectly. The middle pages depicting the animals’ journey to Amos are without words – it works perfectly! (Check out Erin’s video on the illustration process below).
We loved the touches like Amos’ red nose to convey his cold. My youngest had much fun searching each page for the red balloon. This is a great bedtime read about friendship.
2011 saw A Sick Day for Amos McGee being awarded the Caldecott Medal. With previous prize winners including Where the Wild Things Are …. this is a great accolade for the husband and wife team, Philip C Stead & Erin E Stead.
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