A SNOW DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE

The gentle elderly zookeeper introduced in the Steads’ Caldecott Medal–winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee (2010) returns for another break from his usual routine.

Unlike in previous stories, this time, no one is ill, and no one misses the bus. Instead, the much-anticipated first snowfall of the season creates a special day filled with play and hot chocolate. Amos, of course, sets a cozy tone from the start, sipping tea at home while he awaits news of the snow, then commuting by bus to the zoo to finish up some knitting projects for the animals. Each creature receives something from the kindly zookeeper, and most of these knitted items are red, making them stand out from the muted, cool palette of the print-block illustrations and subtly recalling the snowsuit that Peter wears in Ezra Jack Keats’ classic tale The Snowy Day. Adding just a bit of drama to the quietly enchanting story, the snow doesn’t arrive as expected, instead falling overnight to create “a soft blanket that cover[s] up the neighborhood.” The friends then enjoy the delayed snow day together, their joy best captured in a sumptuous wordless spread showing them in a diagonal, downhill trajectory on sleds, skis, and (in the case of the penguin and tortoise) their own bodies. Amos’ skin is the white of the page.

An instant wintertime classic; children will snuggle up for rereads for years to come.