Week 5:

Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! VSA Sick Day for Amos McGee

Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!:

Age range: Probably around 2-5 yrs old.

Summary:

Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.

Review:

This is a simple and fun book, and it’s written by one of the children’s literature “greats.” It made me laugh. That’s a good sign! The illustrations are simple as well, and they fit the story perfectly. The story, which is about a bird giving excuses/demands to stay up late, is great for a little one because it starts and ends pretty quick, but there’s not much else there.  It’s entertaining and that is obviously one of the bigger goals of children’s books, but for me there just wasn’t enough there to really make me want more. Though again, it did make me laugh.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee:

Age range: Maaayyybe around 2-7 yrs old. The wonderful illustrations allow it to be enjoyable for the little ones, so ya.

Summary:

It's getting late and the bus driver is going to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. Will you do him a favour while he is gone - don't let the pigeon stay up late. But this pigeon is wide awake: he isn't even tired - in fact he's in the mood for a hot-dog party.

Review:

A Sick Day for Amos McGee has the quality of a timeless book. It has illustrations that make me want to buy prints to hang on my son’s wall. They’re breathtaking, they really are. The book is done by a husband and wife duo (The wife does the illustrations), and they clearly work great together. It has a soft hearted story, and the artwork knocks it out of the park.

The Winner:

Congratulations to A Sick Day for Amos McGee! We will see you in November!

We’ll see everyone else next week!