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A Sick Day For Amos McGee (2010)

by Philip C. Stead(Favorite Author)

4.23 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1596434023 (ISBN13: 9781596434028)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Roaring Brook Press

review 1: Amos McGee wakes up early every morning and follows a strict routine before heading to work at the City Zoo, where he visits all of his friends. He plays chess with the elephant, runs races with the tortoise, and sits quietly with the penguin, to name a few. One day Amos McGee wakes sniffling and sneezing, and he cannot go to work. When he doesn’t come to work, the animals wonder where their friend is, so they take the City Bus to his house. The story is all about how Amos McGee’s animal friends come to take care of him when he takes a sick day from work, returning all of the favors he has done for them. For example, Amos McGee gives the rhino his hanky every day, and the rhino gives him his hanky when he is sick. The book shows an account of true friendship, and... more teaches readers about the mutual support friends give one another, and the importance of being a good friend in order to have good friends. Not only does the book send a meaningful message, it uses strong verbs and figurative language that makes it both interesting to read and a useful resource book in the elementary classroom. I enjoy the subtle irony used in the story—an owl that is afraid of the dark, and a turtle that always beats Amos McGee in a race. Stead uses words like swung, swapped, and amble when describing what the characters are doing and how they are moving in the story, and it is these strong verbs that bring the characters to life. Since the main character of the story is a simple man with a very set schedule, I think is only fitting that the illustration be simple as well. The images are drawn using a lot of thin, sharp lines and light wash colors, with no extravagant details or bright colors. The calm and simple illustrations match Amos’s personality, lifestyle, and character traits as they are developed throughout the text.
review 2: Stead, E., E. (2010) A sick day for amos mcgee. New York, NY: Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.A Sick Day for Amos Mc Gene is a picture book about a punctual zookeeper named Amos. Unfortunately, one day Amos wakes up very ill and is not able to show up to work, so the animals decide to pay him a surprise visit. Upon their arrival they decide to brighten up Amos’s day and succeed in helping him feel better. Each page is filled with pictures of animals doing unbelievable things. The illustrations in the book show how real life can be altered into something fictional. Stead’s book explores the theme of pet-bonding as it displays a man’s unbreakable bond with the zoo animals he cares for at work. This book is recommended for young elementary students and allows them to use their creative imagination. I could incorporate this book into my classroom by having students bring in their favorite animal or item into class and share why it is important to them. less

Download links for: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

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