A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead

Philip Stead's (Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast) narrative moves with deliberate speed, dreaming up a joyous life for the sort of man likely to be passed on the street without a thought. Every face-Amos's as well as the animals'-brims with personality. The elephant sets up the chessboard the shy penguin sits on the bed, 'keeping Amos's feet warm.' Newcomer Erin Stead's elegant woodblock prints, breathtaking in their delicacy, contribute to the story's tranquility and draw subtle elements to viewers' attention: the grain of the woodblocks themselves, Amos's handsome peacock feather coverlet. In this follow-up to A Sick Day for Amos McGee, the pale-skinned zookeeper plans to finish his work chores early so he can take all of his animal friends on an outingbut, instead, he falls asleep at the kitchen table. Amos McGee Misses the Bus 10 years after the phenomenally successful, Caldecott Medal-winning classic, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, we get to meet back up with the gang in a brand new, heartwarming story. But when Amos catches a cold, the animals ride the bus to pay him a visit, each, in a charming turnabout, doing for Amos whatever he usually does for them. On most days, the angular, elderly Amos rides the bus to the zoo, plays chess with the elephant ('who thought and thought before making a move'), sits quietly with the penguin, and spends time with his other animal friends. But one day-'Ah-choo'-he woke with the sniffles and the sneezes.

With quiet affection, this husband-and-wife team tells the story of a zookeeper whose devotion is repaid when he falls ill. 'A Neal Porter book.' 'Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper, always made time to visit his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead