A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

Roaring Brook Press. $17, 32 pages, ages 4-8

Amos McGee is an elderly zookeeper who goes to work early so he can spend time with his animal friends. He plays chess with elephant, run races with tortoise (who always wins), sits with shy penguin, wipes rhinoceros' runny nose and reads stories to owl (who's afraid of the dark). One day Amos stays home sick. His animal friends miss him so much that they walk out of the zoo and take the bus to Amos' home. They know just how to take care of their friend with a red nose.

Every detail of Philip Stead's playful, loving story vibrates in Erin Stead's marvelous artwork. Elephant's head tilt and penguin's crossed toes are among details she portrays in her fine woodblock prints, which she enhances with colored pencil. Sharp-eyed youngsters will spot extra details, such as the mouse and red balloon. "Sick Day," the first book Erin Stead illustrated, won the Caldecott Medal this year. It's a must-have. Youngsters will want to hear and see the story many times over.

Should I Share My Ice Cream?

Mo Willems

Hyperion, $9, 64 pages, ages 4-8

Mo Willems' genius for capturing young readers pivots on his uncanny talent to pack emotional complexity into a short drama that's easy to read. In his eighth Elephant & Piggie book, lovable Gerald, the elephant, can't decide whether he should offer some of his green ice cream to his best friend, Piggie. It's a hot day, and Piggie's nowhere in sight.

Youngsters will get a kick out of seeing elephant's reasoning teeter between generosity and selfishness. Early readers will especially like the story's simple vocabulary in large type and its wildly expressive drawings. Both will have a magnetic pull on those readers – and young listeners.

Before There Was Mozart

Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome

Schwartz & Wade, $18, 40 pages, ages 4-8

On Christmas Day in 1739 in the West Indies, a boy was born to a French plantation owner and his slave from Senegal. Named Joseph Boulogne, the boy received his father's love and a fine education. At age 9, he moved with his parents to Paris. Joseph excelled at everything he tried and finally focused on music. His excellence was not enough to quell the insults directed at his skin color, but his exquisite musicianship ushered him into the city's finest salons and eventually to perform before the queen, Marie Antoinette.

Subtitled "The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George," this handsome biography by the Ransome husband-wife team highlights a life rarely seen in literature for young people. It begs for a CD or an online link to hear Joseph's music and for a bibliography.

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Judy Green can be reached at jgreen@sacbee.com.

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