A Sick Day for Amos McGee

by Phillip C. Stead

Stead, Phillip C. A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Illustrated by Erin Stead. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-59643-402-8.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee tells the story of a busy zookeeper, Amos McGee. Although Mr. McGee is a very busy man at work, he always manages to make time for his friends everyday. In his own very special way; Mr. McGee spends time with an elephant, a tortoise, a penguin, a rhinoceros, and an owl. One day, however, Mr. McGee is not only visited by a nasty cold, but to his pleasant surprise; he is also visited by the very same friends, who now in their own special way, spend time with Mr. McGee.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee is the winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal. It also won the ALSC Notable Children’s Book, the Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, the NYPL Book for Reading and Sharing, the Charlotte Zolotow Award/Honor Book, the Capitol Choices Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens, and the CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best.

This picture book utilizes characters that are all interesting and have personalities, which are credible to children and an audience at large. Almost every child can relate, if only through an image, of a grandfatherly figure. A grandfather, who wears "silly" pajamas or who, may play chess or ventures off to work with a lunch pail in hand. The animals are all animals that children can easily visualize and attach the described personality traits to. These are the same very traits, which we are repeatedly exposed to in one form or another. For example, we are all taught that elephants have small brains and so it is credible that the elephant "may take a little big longer to think about the next chess move" or can remember the wise owl, which has a love for books. Each character is brought to life through each illustration.

The plot is believable in that children know what it is to be sick. They have an awareness of what it is to “not feel good”. They know that when their tummy hurts or when they have the sniffles they stay home and do not go out. The book supports this concept by beginning with a chronological sequence of Mr. McGee’s typical day. It is only because he became ill that the daily routine changed. The concept of familiarity is introduced by the animals boarding the very same number five bus, which the children had earlier been introduced to. The animals arrive and through the fine use of illustration; the penguin is first, holding the familiar red balloon, which is illustrated through several of the previous pages. The plot ends with Mr. McGee transitioning back to routine with the winding of his alarm clock and stating, “After all, we have a morning bus to catch.”

The setting of the book is depicted through not only the text of the story yet, also through the illustrations. Mr. McGee awakes to his alarm clock and changes from his pajamas into a uniform. The illustration pictures Mr. McGee in his pajamas. At the end of Mr. McGee’s day, he reads to the owl at sunset, which through the illustrations shows the owl on a tree branch and Mr. McGee sitting with a lamp nearby. At the end of the day when the animals come to visit Mr. McGee, he states, “It’s getting late.” The last illustrates all the characters asleep with the exception of the penguin, which is looking out the window into the night sky at the moon.

The beauty of this picture book is that there is a deeper meaning, which can be inferred through the plot however, it is not pushed or forced onto the child. Much like our text explains, the meaning subtly materializes through the characters. The theme of the book clearly allows for a group discussion on friendship and helping others.

I would describe the style of this book to be full of meaningful symbolism; full of detail yet, simplicity. Quite the opposite of the phrase, “talking too much and not saying anything”, the author beautifully states exactly what needs to be stated in just a sentence or two. The illustrations work harmoniously with the author’s few sentences; almost as if the illustrations are not only supporting yet, filling in the blanks of what was not said.

Each character is brought to life through each illustration. The illustrations are quite detailed however, in a simplistic form. The colors of the illustrations are as the illustrations themselves, very simplistic yet, distinct. There are no overbearing colors except for the red balloon, which in some of the illustrations is not colored at all. I interpret the balloon, much like many of the details throughout the story to serve as a sense of familiarity and comfort and have story telling qualities. For instance, the picture of the penguin in Mr. McGee’s kitchen, the little mouse and birdie throughout the story, the little birdie with a tie holding a book as Mr. McGee is walking to the bus stop, the pocket watch, the teddy bear Mr. McGee is holding when he becomes ill in bed, etc. The illustrations are very complimentary to the story and most surely create the mood and move the story along.

As stated previously, almost every child can relate, if only to an image, of a grandfatherly figure. The text and the illustrations work in unison to create characters with personality traits that are all familiar to us; the wise owl with books, the slow walking tortoise, the slow thinking big elephant, the penguin with the cute socks. Each character is given a personality trait which are familiar and so, credible. It brings life to the story.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:
"Erin Stead's attentively detailed pencil and woodblock illustrations reveal character and enhance the cozy mood of Philip Stead's gentle text." —Horn Book Magazine

“Whether read individually or shared, this gentle story will resonate with youngsters.” —School Library Journal

"Like the story, the quiet pictures, rendered in pencil and woodblock color prints, are both tender and hilarious… 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.” —Booklist

RELATED ACTIVITY:
A related activity could include having children create “Get Well” cards for family and friends. They can use construction paper, crayons, markers, and color pencils.