Amos McGee Is Back!

Amos McGee Misses the Bus
Written by Philip C. Stead & Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Age Level: 0-4 Years
Published November 23, 2021

Rough night, eh?

Back in 2010, we were first introduced to the world’s kindest zookeeper in the Caldecott Medal-winning story, A Sick Day for Amos McGee. More than 11 years later, the author and illustrator - who are husband and wife - have graced us with a sequel worth waiting for.

Elderly zookeeper Amos McGee is more than just a caretaker to the animals at City Zoo; he is their devoted friend. In the original story, Amos wakes up with a cold and can’t go to work, so the animals pay him a house call and nurse him back to health. Our follow-up tale is also centered around the theme of friendship and its reciprocal nature. Amos has a special outing planned for the animals at the zoo; in fact, he is too excited to sleep. In the morning, he is exhausted and misses the bus to work, meaning there won’t be time for the outing after all. Noticing how regretful and tired Amos is, the animals rally to complete the zookeeper’s chores while he takes a much needed nap. Perhaps there will be time for an excursion after all?

“Amos looked around and saw that his chores were done. ‘Thank you,’ he said to his friends. ‘There can be so many nice surprises in a day.’ ”

I think a big reason that I am so drawn to these books is because they subtly mirror the parent-child relationship. Every parent will see themselves in Amos as he lovingly anticipates and tends to the animals’ every need. The animals themselves are quite childlike, both in their complete adoration of Amos and also in their constant upkeep, each day they need to be fed, cleaned, and played with. The vast majority of the time, Amos is the tireless and selfless caregiver. But as we parents know, every once in a while our children will see us in a moment of need and show up for us, proffering a beloved stuffed toy to cheer us up or cleaning up a mess to ease the burden. So next time you are in need of a snuggle, reach for these books which are gorgeous to behold and soothing to read.