My daughter read A Sick Day for Amos McGee aloud to me before she went to sleep and it was a treat for both of us.

I love stories for children where older characters retain a child-like quality of bonhomie and easy camaraderie. Amos has both which makes him irresistible to me. The structure of this book is really comforting too, a there and back again plot where the protagonist goes on a journey wherein the reader is introduced to everyone worth knowing and then they are separated but not for long because as one person can bring joy to others throughout their day, so too can a group of friends unite to bring one special person comfort and pleasure together! This is that sort of book.



See above for an interior view of the book from publisher, Roaring Broook's site.

The way award winning illustrator Erin Stead makes her pictures is the icing on the cake: a labor intensive process of block printing the backdrops & major features before completing detailed illustrations on top of them. She describes and illustrates her process really wonderfully in her blog.

I still think The Today Show is SICK breaking with tradition and having Snooki on instead of this year's Caldecott and Newbery award winners. But I must confess I have never watched that show, so eventually I should get over it (after a few more healthy rants). If it had been an important show, like say Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, or a Columbo Rerun, or maybe The Beekman Boys I might have more to bitch about? But the principle of the scheduling choice is still kind of irritating!

But, what the Steads have made in their book A Sick Day for Amos McGee is enough to make anyone feel better about a lot of things!