A+Sick+Day+for+Amos+McGee+(2)

__A Sick Day for Amos McGee__ Author: Philip C. Stead Illustrator: Erin E. Stead Reading Level: 2-6 Publisher: Roaring Brook Press Winner of: 2011 Caldecott Award Number of Pages: 32 ISBN: 9781596434028

The theme in this book is based on friendship. The book opens up by introducing a man named Amos McGee, every day that he goes to work at the zoo he visits his animal friends and spends time with each and every one of them. The part of the story where this theme seems so clear is when Amos becomes ill and his animal friends leave the zoo to go to his house to take care of him and to give him company, just as he does for them. Amos, although ill, is so happy to see that his friends left the zoo and made the trip to his house. Philip Stead shows us what each animal does for Amos to show him that they care for him and appreciate him. This theme demonstrates the things and the limits individuals will go to in order to help a friend.
 * Analysis:**

Philip Stead, an author and illustrator, is the author of this award winning book. As well as writing __A Sick Day for Amos McGee__, Philip has written several books including: Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat, A Home for Bird, and Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast. Philip and his wife, Erin, (who is also an illustrator) collaborated for the first time when writing this book. The two of them have won many awards and honors for this book and as their collection grows, I'm sure will recieve more.
 * Author Biography:**

This story tells of the wonderful friendship between Amos McGee and his animal friends. Every day, Amos goes through his normal routine which includes him going to work at the zoo and spending time with each of his friends. Whether they are playing games or reading books, these special moments are never missed, until one day when Amos McGee wakes up with a cold. After the animals have waited for him for quite some time, they decide to get on the bus and go to him. When the animals get to his home, they each spend their special time with him just as they do every other day. Amos McGee is so happy to have his friends there with him and taking care of him. As the night carries on, the group of friends stick around and when morning comes their friendly routines will start once more. This story had such a beautiful message to share. The author’s work gives the reader a feeling of comfort. I as the reader can feel as though I took part in this routine and it feels wonderful to be a part of it. Every animal has a place in Amos McGee’s heart and we can certainly see this, but it isn’t until close to the end that we recognize the place in the animals’ hearts for Amos McGee. The story line was sweet and light, I just read a story of a group of friends, and there was something very special about each individual in the text. The illustrations were colorful and very realistic. There is so much detail on the animals, from wrinkles to rolls; there was definitely a tremendous amount of work that went into each page. This was an altogether very special book.
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