A Sick Day for Amos McGhee

       

         Stead, P. C. (2010). A Sick Day for Amos McGee. New York: Roaring Book Press. This picture book was the 2011 Caldecott Award winning book. It is about Amos McGee an old man who works as a zookeeper. Although he has a job to do at the zoo he always makes time for his friends the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhino, and the owl. Amos does something different and special with each one of his friends. He takes the time to get to know them and spends time doing the things they like to do. One day Amos awakes and is sick, and is forced to take a sick day. His friends wait for him to come to work, but when they realize he is not coming they do something special for Amos McGee. This is an excellent story about true friendship., and I think it would be great for young children. I would use this story to even teach what it means to be a good friend. Often as a Kindergarten teacher I teach character education, because my students do not know how to share, or what it means to be a good friend. After reading this story I would ask my students, "What are some things you could do for a friend if they were sick?" We would also talk about the characteristics that the characters in the book had that made them a great friend, and then we would write about what it means to be a good friend.