Philip C. Stead

Erin E. Stead

Jim Dale

Book & CD Storytime Set

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Sarah Sammis

In A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C Stead won the 2011 Caldecott Medal. Amos McGee is an elderly zookeeper dedicated to his work. He loves his job and the zoo animals love him. The book is about a day when Amos can't go to work and what happens next.

Amos has a daily routine that involves chess with an elephant, a footrace with a tortoise and bedtime stories with an owl who is scared of the dark. When he has stay home with a cold, his animal friends come to repay the kindness and take care of him.

Erin Stead uses woodblocks and colored pencils in her illustrations which bring to mind the classic illustrations of earlier picture books. They fit the quiet mood of the story perfectly. Children will learn about the value of friendship and extended families.

I read this book originally for the materials for children ages 5 to 8 class I took during the Spring 2011 semester.

Ryan LaFerney

In A Sick Day for Amos McGee, a very punctual, somewhat rigid, zookeeper always — always — takes the No. 5 bus to work at 6 a.m.

At the City Zoo, he visits his friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros and the owl.

Until one day, Amos McGee wakes up with a terrible cold. He calls in sick, and his animal friends must overcome their fears to help take care of their friend.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee went on to sell nearly 500,000 copies and for a very good reason. It is a wonderfully charming story about friendship complete with amazing old school looking illustrations apparently done by hand by using woodblock printing techniques and pencil.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee Book & CD Storytime Set

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