Nanny Shecando

Supporting the international nanny industry

  • About
  • Blog
    • All Blog Posts
    • The Read Aloud Series
    • Nanny Life
    • ‘How To’ Series
    • DIY + Crafts
    • Nanny Careers Guide
    • Nanny Resources
    • Lifestyle
  • Work With Me
  • Press
    • Press Mentions
    • Nanny Industry Spotlight
  • Nanny Spotlight
  • CONTACT
    • FAQ
    • Disclosure + Policy
  • New Reader? Start Here…
You are here: Home / Nanny Life / Good Reads: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Good Reads: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Good Reads: A Sick Day For Amos McGee Da Poppins Book Reviews for NANNY SHECANDO

Title: A Sick Day for Amos Mcgee
Age range: 2-6 years
Reading level: Preschool – Year 1

The best sick day ever and the animals in the zoo feature in this striking picture book debut.

I’ve had several occasions to read A Sick Day for Amos McGee to different children. It has appeared more than once next to the bed in a stack of books as I visit homes as a temporary nanny. Written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated Erin E. Stead this charming little story won best illustrated children books of 2010 award from the New York Times. It also garnered a 2011 Caldecott Medal for illustrations. Since is publishing in 2010 it has appeared on favorite book lists all over the internet.

A Sick Day For Amos McGee is a very calm, low-key book, making it perfect for bedtime. Amos works at the zoo and always takes time out of his day to visit his special friends and share a moment that makes them both happy. As he visits each animal friend, a classic repetition list appears, with sentences sounding the same as the story unfolds.

Book Reviews by Da Poppins A Sick Day For Amos McGee NANNY SHECANDO

Interesting words are introduced on each page for younger children, as well as playful sentence structures to keep the reading from sounding monotone. The use of this technique makes Amos McGee feel like a familiar classic. I have to say, it felt like such an “old fashioned” book I had to check to see when it was published. There are no verbal gymnastics required to read this book. The punctuation is clear. The narrative unfolds like a dream.

When Amos gets sick the animals return his kindnesses in the same list form , one after the other until the day is done. There is a lesson in this book, painted in words and pictures that both adults and children will receive. One plot point that stands out strongly is that Amos practices “child directed play”, spending time with each animal in a way that makes each animal feel most loved. When Amos doesn’t come to work one day, the animals all go to visit him, and each share their individual expression of love.

Instead of dominating, the sweetly detailed illustrations add depth and description to every written page, creating a complementary balance between words and pictures. The illustrations are as low-key as the book, soothing yet interesting without fanfare or over stylization. One finds elements of personality in the animals and Amos on each page adding information to the story without adding word count. It’s no wonder that the illustrations blend so well with the writing, as Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead are a husband and wife team.

A Sick Day For Amos McGee is the perfect book for bedtimes and quiet times. If your child seems frustrated by the lack of action, take a moment to pour over the pictures, asking questions about what the child sees, pointing out some of the unique details: the mouse waiting at the tiny bus stop, the activities of the penguins in the penguin pool, and where the red balloon goes at the end of the evening. Interaction with children while reading a book can create a special moment that kids will always remember, changing a seemingly hum-drum story into a beloved childhood classic.

Not only do I take this book along with me in my Nanny bag to work, I would recommend it to parents looking for a great bedtime read.

A Sick Day For Amos McGee is a calm, low-key book, perfect for bedtime. #nannylife #goodreads

Click To Tweet

Good Reads: A Sick Day For Amos McGee Da Poppins Book Reviews for NANNY SHECANDO

>>> Do you have a book that’s particularly good for bed times and quiet times?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Print
  • Reddit
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr

Related

«
»

March 19, 2015 By DA Poppins Filed Under: Nanny Life

About DA Poppins

Da Poppins, is a career nanny based in Vancouver, Washington, a graduate of Northwest Nanny Institute and has over 20 years experience in the industry. Dana is an advocate for the benefit of reading and children’s literacy, a talented scrapbooker, and writes the blog Da Poppins.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Oh, Hi There!

I'm Hope & I help nannies transform their approach to job search, and inspire those working with kids to maximise their potential within the international nanny industry. Plus, did I mention I like crafts + diy, baking & playing! Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Featured Posts

A DIY Velcro No Sew Banner from Dunne with Style

A DIY Velcro No Sew Banner Craft

We received this cute heart-shaped VELCRO ® NO SEW BANNER craft, project designed by Dunne with Style, to feature and review on the blog. Given we love all things craft and DIY, we jumped at the opportunity to review this product. And when there’s Velcro © involved, well we thought it’d be an easy win […]

Make these kid-friendly salt dough necklaces for mother's day by NANNY SHECANDO and A Crafty Living

Salt Dough Necklaces for Mother’s Day

Give Mum a one-of-a-kind Mother’s Day gift with these simple kid-made Salt Dough Necklaces. We’ve teamed up with Olivia over at A Crafty Living to bring you this fun Mother’s Day gift idea. To make use of your extra salt dough, check out Olivia’s salt dough fridge magnets. With Mother’s Day approaching we got crafty […]

How To Make Recycled Egg Carton Mini Easter Egg Baskets with A Crafty Living and Olivia Foster for NANNY SHECANDO

Recycled Egg Carton Mini Easter Egg Baskets

Easter has come early this year! To celebrate our EGG-citement, for a long weekend, family festivities & of course, CHOCOLATE, we made these Mini Easter Egg Baskets! A hands-on, messy craft using just a few supplies from your craft box. These Mini Easter Egg Baskets are a great way to limit your child’s daily chocolate […]

St Patricks Day Fizzing Shamrocks Craft, A Crafty Living, easy kids crafts

St Patrick’s Day Fizzing Shamrocks Craft

We got in the spirit of St Patrick’s Day this week – Fizzing Shamrocks craft anyone? – with this awesome science-meets-art project. Have you ever tried the baking soda & vinegar experiment? This was the first time Mr3 had experienced it. To say he loved it would be an understatement! I didn’t tell him about the […]

Post Categories

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 133 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • A DIY Velcro No Sew Banner Craft
  • Salt Dough Necklaces for Mother’s Day
  • Recycled Egg Carton Mini Easter Egg Baskets
  • St Patrick’s Day Fizzing Shamrocks Craft
  • Make These Valentines Day Heart Prints
  • Valentines Day Washi Tape Wall Sticker Love Notes
  • Make This Preschooler DIY Cutting Station
  • Toddler Friendly Easy Kids Christmas Craft
  • The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep Book Review
  • How To Make A Paper Pocket Watch
  • ‘Nanny Life’ Series
  • DIY + Crafts
  • Lifestyle
  • Careers Guide
  • ‘How To’ Series

Copyright © 2022 · NANNY SHECANDO by HOPE FOR NANNIES

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.