Module 3: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Book Summary

In Philip Stead’s (2010) book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Amos works at the zoo, and he has special friendships with the animals, like the elephant (with whom he plays chess), the tortoise (with whom he races), the penguin (with whom he sits quietly), the rhinoceros (to whom he lends a handkerchief), and the owl (to whom he reads stories). One day Amos wakes up sick and realizes he is not fit to go to work. Amos must stay home, but the animals at the zoo notice his absence and are concerned about their friend. So the animals leave the zoo, get on the bus, and visit Amos at his home. Amos is very excited to see his good friends, who take good care of him while he is sick. For instance, the penguin sits on Amos’ feet to keep them warm while Amos naps, and the rhinoceros is ready with a handkerchief when Amos sneezes. With the help of his friends from the zoo, Amos starts to feel better, and he decides to share a pot of tea with them. But it starts to get late, and Amos reminds the animals that they have to get up early in the morning to catch the bus for the zoo. Owl reads everyone a story, and then they all go to sleep. 

APA Reference of Book

Stead, P. C. (2010). A sick day for Amos McGee. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.

Impressions

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are so sweet and endearing, but not cheesy or cliché. Even though most of the characters are animals, they have unique personalities that make them memorable and easily adored. The details about Amos and the animals, which are present both in the text and the illustrations, show how the characters how they interact and live their everyday lives. These details make the characters pop off the page and make them feel more realistic to the reader. For instance, it is interesting to see the details of what Amos does in the morning to get ready for work. Plus, the emotions depicted on the characters’ faces greatly contribute to making them come alive for the reader, like the proud look the turtle has when he wins the race, the concerned look the owl has when Amos does not show up at the zoo, and the happy looks they all have when they arrive at Amos’ home. Their emotions are believable. The relationships between the characters are also really touching and are demonstrated well in both the illustrations and the text.

Furthermore, the calm and gentle illustrations wonderfully reflected the sentiments of this book. It seems appropriate for a picture book to feature illustrations that appear antique when the main character is an elderly man. This woodblock technique also effectively works to give texture to the skins of the different animals, making them seem more real. Also, the mellow, pastel, and subdued colors, which are sparingly used among other black and white images, work to reinforce the calm and sweet mood of Amos and his friends. And the illustrations contribute additional details that are not provided in the text, which makes the story engaging and fun to read over and over again in order to find new details in the pictures. For instance, there is a red balloon that pops up here and there that young readers may find entertaining. They may wonder Why is it there? Where else will it appear? Children can have fun trying to find it on subsequent pages.

Overall, I really love this book—it has turned out to be one of my favorite pictures right now. But I have one dilemma: I can’t decide if I like the story or the illustrations better. They both offer an incredible story!

Professional Reviews

In The Horn Book Magazine, Kitty Flynn (2010) reviewed A Sick Day for Amos McGee, stating:

Kindly zookeeper Amos McGee is a creature of habit, much like his animal charges. Every day Amos follows the same morning routine; and when he gets to work, he "always | makes] time to visit his good friends." Amos has a special relationship with each one of his pals: he plays chess with the thoughtful elephant, races the tortoise "who never ever lost," quietly keeps the shy penguin company, has a handkerchief ready for the runny-nosed rhino, and reads stories to the owl "who was afraid of the dark." Erin Stead's attentively detailed pencil and woodblock illustrations reveal character and enhance the cozy mood of Philip Stead's gentle text. Wiry, elderly Amos has a kindly Mister Rogers air about him; the animals, while realistically rendered overall, display distinct personalities without uttering a word. When Amos stays home one day to nurse a cold, his friends have just the right medicine: they make time to visit their good friend. Two wordless spreads showing the animals (and one peripatetic red balloon) taking the bus to Amos's house have an almost surreal quality, which adds some low-key anticipation to the understated story. (p. 72-73)

In School Library Journal, Mary Jean Smith (2010) stated:

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. (p. 92)

           

Library Uses

This book has multiple potential uses within a library. First of all, I think the story of Amos and his friends is simple and short enough to easily be utilized for a storytime program geared towards toddlers or preschoolers, one with a theme of “friends,” “animals,” or “the zoo,” among other things. This picture book provides multiple opportunities for the librarian to ask the children questions during the storytime reading, especially on the pages where there is no text. For example, when the animals are waiting on the street to catch the bus, the librarian could ask, “What do you think the animals are doing?” Or when the animals are on the bus, the librarian can ask, “Where do you think the animals are going?” These types of questions keep the children engaged in the story, and they also invite children to make predictions about what will happen next based on what has happened so far, which is a great way to practice early critical thinking skills.

I also think this award-winning book could be used on a recommended book list provided either on flyers in the library available for patrons to take or via a link from the library’s website for patrons to conveniently reference. I this book could fit in a couple of different recommended reading list themes, with titles like “Picture Books that Adults Can Enjoy Too,” “Great Read-Alouds,” and “Let’s Be Friends.” One of the great values of librarians to users is to be able to recommend new titles, and this would be a great book to recommend for various purposes, especially for reading aloud to young children. 

References

Flynn, K. (2010, May 1). [Review of the book A sick day for Amos McGee, by P. Stead]. The 
          Horn Book Magazine, 86(3), 72-73. Retrieved from www.hbook.com

Smith, M. (2010, May 1). [Review of the book A sick day for Amos McGee, by P. Stead].  
          School Library Journal, 56(5), 92. Retrieved from www.slj.com