A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Stead, Philip C. 2010. A Sick Day for Amos McGee. NY, NY: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN:978-1-59643-402-8

PLOT SUMMARY:

One day Amos McGee is sick and he stays home from his job at the zoo.  All of his animal friends wait patiently for Amos to arrive; when Amos does not arrive the animals decide to go visit him.  Amos is very pleased to see his friends, and plays games with them.  Usually at the zoo Amos takes care of the animals but today the animals take care of Amos.

CRITCAL ANALYSIS:

This adorable book teaches young children friendship and compassion.  Amos takes care of all the animals every day and a makes time for them in his very busy schedule.  When Amos becomes sick the animals who value the friendship show the same compassion towards their friend as he always did for them.

The illustrations are very detailed and expressive; parts of them are in color and parts of them in black and white.  All of the characters are created in color to emphasize them.  The story line is short, sweet and to the point. The author conveys the message in easy to understand terms for young children.  This book can easily be enjoyed by all ages. 

CONNECTIONS:

-A Sick Day

By Patricia Macachlan

-Jordan's Silly Sick Day

By Justine Fontes

Sick Days

By Mike and Jan Berenstain

REVIEWS:

Amazon.com Review

THE BEST SICK DAY EVER and the animals in the zoo feature in this striking picture book debut.

Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Amos McGee, an elderly man who works at the zoo, finds time each day for five special friends. With empathy and understanding he gives the elephant, tortoise, penguin, rhinoceros, and owl the attention they need. One morning, Amos wakes up with a bad cold and stays home in bed. His friends wait patiently and then leave the zoo to visit him. Their trip mirrors his daily bus ride to the zoo and spans three nearly wordless spreads. Amos, sitting up in bed, clasps his hands in delight when his friends arrive. The elephant plays chess with him, and the tortoise plays hide-and-seek. The penguin keeps Amos's feet warm, while the rhinoceros offers a handkerchief when Amos sneezes. They all share a pot of tea. Then the owl, knowing that Amos is afraid of the dark, reads a bedtime story as the other animals listen. They all sleep in Amos's room the rest of the night. The artwork in this quiet tale of good deeds rewarded uses woodblock-printing techniques, soft flat colors, and occasional bits of red. Illustrations are positioned on the white space to move the tale along and underscore the bonds of friendship and loyalty. Whether read individually or shared, this gentle story will resonate with youngsters.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN
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