Module 3: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Module 3:  A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Book cover image

• Book Summary:  Amos McGee is a zoo keeper who has animal friends who he has a special bond with.  Amos takes out time to do activities that each animal enjoys.  The elephant likes to play chess, the tortoise likes to race, the penguin sits quietly, Amos lends a handkerchief to the rhinoceros who has a runny nose, and owl likes to be read to because he's afraid of the dark.  Amos McGee and the animals enjoy each others' company at the zoo until one day Amos McGee is nowhere to be found.  The animals decide to take the city bus to check on their friend.  Once the animals make it to Amos McGee's house, they discover that he is sick.  Each animal take a turn caring for their friend in their own special way.
• APA Reference of Book:

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

• Impressions:  A Sick Day for Amos McGee is an adorable book.  I like the way the book shows the relationship Amos McGee has with the animals he care for at the zoo.  Although Amos lives alone, he takes pride in his work, and has friendship with the animals.  My favorite part of the book is when the animals are waiting at the bus stop and then get on the bus to go see Amos McGee.
• Professional Review:  KITTY FLYNN
      by Philip C. Stead; illus. by Erin E. Stead
      Preschool Porter/Roaring Brook 32 pp. 5/10 978-1-59643-402-8 $16.99 g
      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' house have an almost surreal quality, which adds some low-key anticipation to the understated story (Flynn, 2010).

APA Reference:  Flynn, K. (May 2010).  A sick day for Amos McGee.  Horn Book Magazine. 86(3) p72-73.

• Library Uses:  I actually used this book to teach Pre-K students a lesson about characterization and the word "friendship."  Students were able to identify who the characters were in the story.  We also discussed new vocabulary words such as uniform, amble, handkerchief, achy, and polish.  As an extension activity, students drew a picture showing how a friend or loved one helped them when they were sick.