Plot Summary
Amos McGee works at the zoo with the animals, but not just ordinary everyday zoo animals. The animals Amos works with are his friends and one day, when Amos is too sick to go to work, his friends leave the zoo and go to Amos's house to check on him. They keep him company, each doing what it can to make Amos comfortable, while he gets better and then they all go back to the zoo.
Personal Reaction
This is such a sweet story of friendship of the truest nature. Everyone should have friends like Amos's.
Memorable Literary Element
The teamwork of author and illustrator create characters that the reader cares deeply about. This book exemplifies what it means to be a friend!
Illustrations
The artwork consists of black/white and colored pencil sketches with clean lines and a simple, understated charm. This matches the personality of the protagonist, Amos, who is neat and orderly and whose life is simple and understated. The drawings give life to Amos, expressing his personality without a need for words. My favorite illustration from the book is the full-bleed page of an elephant, rhinoceros, giant tortoise, owl, and penguin standing in a line facing the reader as they wait for the bus that will take them to their sick friend. The next page shows them all on the bus.
Amos McGee works at the zoo with the animals, but not just ordinary everyday zoo animals. The animals Amos works with are his friends and one day, when Amos is too sick to go to work, his friends leave the zoo and go to Amos's house to check on him. They keep him company, each doing what it can to make Amos comfortable, while he gets better and then they all go back to the zoo.
Personal Reaction
This is such a sweet story of friendship of the truest nature. Everyone should have friends like Amos's.
Memorable Literary Element
The teamwork of author and illustrator create characters that the reader cares deeply about. This book exemplifies what it means to be a friend!
Illustrations
The artwork consists of black/white and colored pencil sketches with clean lines and a simple, understated charm. This matches the personality of the protagonist, Amos, who is neat and orderly and whose life is simple and understated. The drawings give life to Amos, expressing his personality without a need for words. My favorite illustration from the book is the full-bleed page of an elephant, rhinoceros, giant tortoise, owl, and penguin standing in a line facing the reader as they wait for the bus that will take them to their sick friend. The next page shows them all on the bus.
Reviews/Awards
Caldecott Medal - 2011
New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010
Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010
Booklist, 2010 - Zookeeper Amos McGee always makes time to visit his good friends at work: he plays chess with the elephant, runs races with the tortoise (who always wins), sits quietly with the penguin, lends a handkerchief to the rhinoceros (who has a runny nose), and reads stories to the owl (who is afraid of the dark). Then, after Amos gets a cold, his friends miss him, and they leave the zoo and ride the bus to his place to care for him and cheer him up. Like the story, the quiet pictures, rendered in pencil and woodblock color prints, are both tender and hilarious. Each scene captures the drama of Amos and the creatures caring for each other, whether the elephant is contemplating his chess moves, his huge behind perched on a stool; or the rhinoceros is lending Amos a handkerchief; or the owl is reading them all a bedtime story. 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. —Hazel Rochman
Caldecott Medal - 2011
New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010
Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010
Booklist, 2010 - Zookeeper Amos McGee always makes time to visit his good friends at work: he plays chess with the elephant, runs races with the tortoise (who always wins), sits quietly with the penguin, lends a handkerchief to the rhinoceros (who has a runny nose), and reads stories to the owl (who is afraid of the dark). Then, after Amos gets a cold, his friends miss him, and they leave the zoo and ride the bus to his place to care for him and cheer him up. Like the story, the quiet pictures, rendered in pencil and woodblock color prints, are both tender and hilarious. Each scene captures the drama of Amos and the creatures caring for each other, whether the elephant is contemplating his chess moves, his huge behind perched on a stool; or the rhinoceros is lending Amos a handkerchief; or the owl is reading them all a bedtime story. 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. —Hazel Rochman
Promotion Idea
This book would make a good springboard for an examination of friendship. After reading A Sick Day for Amos McGee, the teacher can lead a class discussion about what Amos did in the story that made him a good friend and likewise with the zoo animals. Next, the teacher would need a large sheet of chart paper on which to list the characteristics of a good friend. At the top, write the phrase "A good friend...", then allow students to think about and share what a good friend does or doesn't do. Record responses on the chart paper. This poster can then be laminated and displayed prominently in the class for the rest of the school year. An extension to this lesson could include letting the students make a "Friendship Manual" that would include information such as: definition of the words friend and friendship, characteristics of a good friend (this would be come directly from the poster from the earlier activity), a page to record what friends have done to show friendship, a page to record what the student has done for others to show friendliness, etc. The book could be designed to be added to in the future and would be small enough to take up little space. Periodically, the teacher could revisit the Friendship Manual to find out if entries are being made and allow students to share what they have written.
This book would make a good springboard for an examination of friendship. After reading A Sick Day for Amos McGee, the teacher can lead a class discussion about what Amos did in the story that made him a good friend and likewise with the zoo animals. Next, the teacher would need a large sheet of chart paper on which to list the characteristics of a good friend. At the top, write the phrase "A good friend...", then allow students to think about and share what a good friend does or doesn't do. Record responses on the chart paper. This poster can then be laminated and displayed prominently in the class for the rest of the school year. An extension to this lesson could include letting the students make a "Friendship Manual" that would include information such as: definition of the words friend and friendship, characteristics of a good friend (this would be come directly from the poster from the earlier activity), a page to record what friends have done to show friendship, a page to record what the student has done for others to show friendliness, etc. The book could be designed to be added to in the future and would be small enough to take up little space. Periodically, the teacher could revisit the Friendship Manual to find out if entries are being made and allow students to share what they have written.
Alternate or additional activity: Give students a copy of the book, a thesaurus, and Post-It Page Markers. Students will go through the book picking out words to look up in the thesaurus as a replacement to the one that author chose. The new word will be written on a page marker and then stuck on the page so that the corner just touches the word it replaces. When this is complete, students will share aloud the new story that has been created.