Genre 1: Picture Books Post 3

Stead, Philip C. 2010. A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Ill. by Erin Stead. New York: Roaring Book Press. ISBN 9781596434028.

Amos McGee is not your ordinary zoo keeper - he's more of a friend, especially to five animals:  elephant who plays chess with Amos, tortoise who wins every race against Amos, penguin who enjoys Amos' silent company, rhinoceros who relies on Amos for a handkerchief, and owl who isn't afraid of the dark when Amos is with him.  But Mr. McGee wakes up feeling sick one morning and decides to stay home.  To his surprise these five animals who sorely miss him come to his house to look after him.  This endearing picture book shows the benefits of being a sincere friend.

Erin Stead uses woodblock printing, pencil, and muted colors to illustrate this book which helps to create a sense of simplicity throughout the story adding detail and character to the 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."¹  Stead's wonderful illustrations won A Sick Day for Amos McGee the Caldecott Medal in 2011.

This picture book would be a great way for students to begin a journal about a time when they were pleasantly surprised by a friend's action like Amos was surprised by his animal friends.  Being in Texas, this fits the types of open-ended essay prompts that tend to be on the TAKS test at the high school level.  What a create way to bring a picture book into a secondary classroom!

Notes

1.  Kitty Flynn, “Caldecott Medal 2011,” The Horn Book, last modified May 2010, http://www.hbook.com/resources/awards/ala/caldecott.asp#rev1.