A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip and Erin Stead
A delightful picture book. Written and illustrated with great sensitivity, the husband and wife team have let readers into the intimate world of Amos McGee, a lively old man whose daily routine consists of taking the No.5 bus at 6 a.m. to visit his friends at the zoo.
Kind, considerate and empathetic, Amos manages to give of himself to elephant, rhinoceros, penguin, tortoise and owl and in so doing finds the finest part of his humanity to connect with his zoo friends.
The exquisite drawings of Erin Stead, create a sympathetic world to the text and invite the reader to share in the simple, humble world of Amos. Colours are limited and are mostly reserved for Amos and the animals. Extensive and detailed backgrounds are largely dispensed with, and inanimate objects are only selectively highlighted with colour, letting the emphasis sit squarely on the animals and Amos.
Be it playing chess with elephant, sitting quietly with shy penguin, comforting owl with a bedtime story or lending rhinoceros a handkerchief for his constantly runny nose, Amos finds a way to connect with his friends. Giving and caring necessitate the routine around which Amos has found sustenance for his life.
But as much as it fulfills him, it is also crucial to the animals. This is no better demonstrated than when their friend falls ill and is unable to make his daily visit. And so, the empathy afforded them, now provides a reciprocal vehicle for the animals. They realize this by visiting Amos and attending to him as selflessly as he has done for them. In staying him in a time of need, the animals afford Amos not only a physical comfort but an emotional one as well.
In its themes of friendship and care, the underlying mutual empathy of Amos and the animals restores the heart of connectivity between living things irrespective of species and shows us the mutual respect that underpins it.
A beautiful picture book in both theme and delivery. Quiet, understated and moving.
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