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Bibliography
Stead, Philip Christian. 2010. A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press. ISBN 1-59643-402-3
Plot summary
Elderly Amos McGee, city zookeeper, cares for each of his animal friends with gentle devotion until one day he wakes with a cold and cannot go to work. His loyal animal friends board a bus and come to Amos’ home to cheer him up with games, tea, and stories.
Critical Analysis
Philip Stead’s gentle writing creates an instant connection with kind, elderly Amos who lives in his charmingly antiquated house among tall apartment buildings. Amos’s quaint mannerisms (talking politely to the sugar bowl) and unassuming way in which he faithfully builds up his animal friends at the zoo (tortoise never loses a race to Amos) sets a warm stage for the crisis when Amos is too sick to go to work one day. Devoted friendship leads the animals on a bus ride to Amos’s home where they care for their friend over cups of tea, quiet games, and finally a bedtime story.
Erin Stead’s woodblock printing combined with pencil sketching and shadings of cool blue and green set against white space compliment the gentle writing style. Thin horizontal lines drawn across the bottom of each spread create movement through the quiet storyline as do the occasional smudges of symbolically warm red on penguin's socks, rhino’s scarf, owl’s bedtime storybook, and the balloon.
The story reminded me of my own grandfather-loyal, kind, unselfish. I found myself drawn to Amos’ thinning hair, bushy eyebrows, weak chin, and gentle smile. If children have relationships with elderly relatives, they will readily connect with Amos though they are more likely to identify with the friendly, but needy, animal friends from the zoo.
Reviews and Honors
· Caldecott Medal 2011
· Booklist 05/01/10 “The extension of the familiar pet-bonding theme will have great appeal, especially in the final images of the wild creatures snuggled up with Amos in his cozy home.”
· Publishers Weekly starred 05/10/10 “Newcomer Erin Stead's elegant woodblock prints, breathtaking in their delicacy, contribute to the story's tranquility and draw subtle elements to viewers' attention: the grain of the woodblocks themselves, Amos's handsome peacock feather coverlet.”
· Kirkus Review starred 04/15/10
· New York Times 11/01/10
· Notable/Best Books (ALA) 01/01/11
· School Library Journal 05/01/10
· Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Connections
· Discuss ways that friends and family can care for one another.
· Engage students in a service opportunity such as drawing pictures/writing cards for those in nursing homes or hospitals, thank you notes to community servants, or collecting items for an animal shelter.
· Make-up scenarios that demonstrate how to play games while valuing relationships over winning; allow students to make up their skits in groups and then act out to the class.
· For younger children: Sing “Animals Are So Charming” (to the tune of "Skip to My Lou") and make zoo animal masks
Read other books about zookeepers and their animal relationships:
· Rathmann, Peggy. Good-Night, Gorilla. ISBN 9780399224454
· Hazelarr, Cor. Zoo Dreams. ISBN 9780374397302
· Wilson, Karma. Animal Strike at the Zoo, It’s True. ISBN 9780060575021
· Mora, Pat. Marimba. ISBN 9780618194537
