#212 of 1001 · February 28, 2021

Friendship comes in all shapes and sizes, often informing the pleasures of a cherished ritual. But what happens when a pattern is disrupted, when connections are severed and must be reforged along new pathways? These questions inform the gentle aura of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead (whose shared account can be found @number5bus). A kindly zookeeper savors his daily routine visiting and caring for the animals in their habitats. One morning, he wakes up feeling ill, and the animals show their concern by taking the bus to visit him at home and reciprocate his warmth and kindness. The married collaborators establish an inviting aesthetic; Philip Stead’s elegantly simple prose conveys the amiable relationship between Amos and his friends, while Erin Stead’s inviting art, a combination of pencil drawing and woodblock printing, evokes subtle shades of emotion in the animals’ faces while maintaining a thoughtful realism in their anatomy. #sick #day #sickday #animal #animals #zoo #bus #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks