A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Written by Philip C. Stead · Illustrated by Erin E. Stead

When Amos falls ill, his zoo friends bring the fun to him.

5.8/7 Bookroo experts·4.3/5 Goodreads · 22,013 ratings

34 pages· 441 words· Est. 4 min read-aloud· AD610L

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Bookroo's summary

Amos McGee cherishes his daily visits with his zoo friends, from racing a tortoise to comforting a shy penguin. But when Amos is too sick to visit, the animals embark on a heartwarming journey to return his kindness. Will their surprise cheer him up? Discover the power of friendship in unexpected forms.

From the publisher

THE BEST SICK DAY EVER and the animals in the zoo feature in this striking picture book debut. Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor. A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children’s Book of the Year and the winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal. This title has Common Core connections.

Awards

Caldecott Medal (2011)The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award (2010)Charlotte Zolotow Honor (2011)

At a glance

Format
Pages: 34
Words: 441
Reading age: 2–6
Audience: Board
Lexile: AD610L

Themes & topics

Books about the zoo Books about empathy Books about friendship Books about kindness Books about feeling sick

Inside the book

A peek between the covers

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.8

out of 7

6.0

“This is such a soft and endearing story of sincere friendship. The illustrations are very unique due to illustrator Erin Stead's use of woodblock printing techniques. This was actually her first illustrated book, which is remarkable since it's a Caldecott winner.”

The Goodfather

Trusted reviewer

5.8

“This book is beautifully told through both words and illustrations. I love how the story comes full circle from Amos visiting the animals and helping them every day to the animals coming to visit Amos on his sick day, demonstrating that true friendship goes both ways!”

Marmee

Trusted reviewer

The author