2010
WISE Score
Amazon
A zookeeper's animal friends return the favor when he's sick—gentle, gorgeous, and impossible not to love.
4.9
4.9View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
This is one of those rare picture books that parents genuinely enjoy reading aloud—multiple times. The story is simple but never simplistic, and the illustrations are stunning without being showy.
It's a Caldecott Medal winner for good reason: it teaches empathy and reciprocity without a single preachy line, and the pacing is so calm it's become a bedtime staple in thousands of households. If you're building a picture book library, this one belongs on the shelf.
Best for ages 2–7, though it works as a read-aloud for toddlers and as an early reader for first-graders. The themes are universal enough that older kids might enjoy it nostalgically, but the simple plot won't hold most kids past age 8.
A gentle story about reciprocal kindness and friendship. Amos takes time each day to care for his zoo animal friends—running races with a tortoise, keeping a shy penguin company, reading bedtime stories to an owl. When he gets sick, they return the favor. Models empathy, loyalty, and thoughtful care without any saccharine preaching. The pacing is calm and deliberate, perfect for bedtime routines.
The premise—a zookeeper with daily rituals for each animal friend, and the reversal when they visit his home—is charming and original enough to spark questions about animal personalities and friendships. The Caldecott Medal-winning illustrations use soft pencil and woodblock prints that invite close looking. Not wildly fantastical, but invites kids to imagine what animals might do if they could reciprocate human kindness.
Zero content concerns. A zookeeper gets a cold, stays home, and his animal friends visit to take care of him. No violence, no scary moments, no mature themes. The illness is handled matter-of-factly (he sneezes, stays in bed) without drama. This is as safe as picture books get.
Teaches reciprocity, empathy, and the quiet rewards of showing up for friends. Kids see concrete examples of how Amos tailors his care to each animal's needs (the shy penguin needs company, the elephant needs chess), which models attentiveness. The story also normalizes illness and rest. Won the 2011 Caldecott Medal for a reason—it's a book that sticks with kids and builds emotional intelligence without lecturing.
Most children’s media tries very hard to grab a kid’s attention with neon colors and high-decibel slapstick. A Sick Day for Amos McGee does the opposite. It is a masterclass in understatement. If you are looking for a book to lower the "room temperature" before sleep, this is the gold standard.
Amos is a creature of habit. He wakes up at the same time, eats the same oatmeal, and catches the number five bus to work. For a toddler or preschooler, this focus on routine is incredibly grounding. It mirrors their own lives where the sequence of events—shoes on, bag packed, out the door—is their entire world.
When the routine breaks because Amos gets the sniffles, the shift feels significant without being scary. The animals taking the bus to visit him isn't a chaotic "animals on the loose" trope; it’s a quiet, orderly extension of the friendship he already built. This is why it sits so comfortably among other Caldecott Winners: Picture Books That Spark Meaningful Screen-Free Moments. It proves that a story doesn't need a villain or a "big" problem to be compelling.
While the text is sparse and sweet, the real heavy lifting is done in the illustrations. You’ll want to pay attention to the penguin. Throughout the book, the penguin’s body language—the way he stands, his slight hesitation, and his eventually sitting on Amos’s bed—tells a parallel story about overcoming shyness.
The art uses woodblock prints and pencil, which gives it a textured, handmade feel that stands out in an era of slick, digital-first children's books. There are tiny details to spot on every page, like the mouse that follows the action or the specific way the light changes as the day goes on. It’s the kind of visual storytelling that rewards a second or third reading because your kid will notice a small red balloon or a specific hat that they missed the first time.
If your child is currently obsessed with "crash and bang" adventure shows, they might find the first few pages of Amos's morning routine a bit slow. That’s okay. This isn't a book meant to compete with a tablet. It’s a book meant to replace it during that twenty-minute window before the lights go out.
The "vibe" here is similar to a long-form hug. There is no snark, no sarcasm, and no hidden agenda. It simply posits that if you are kind to others, they will be kind to you. In a crowded landscape of "educational" media that tries to teach coding or Mandarin to three-year-olds, a book that just teaches reciprocity feels like a necessary relief.
Get a personalized guide on any topic
