Sick Day

by David McPhail

Overview

Loving friendships and caring for loved ones are the subjects of this poignant, easy-to-read picture book. When Boy gets sick, family and friends try to help him get well. Mom brings soup. Dog brings a bone, and Bird brings pizza. Though he declines the bone and the pizza, Boy gets well. But now his friends are sick. And now Boy has a chance to help his friends recover. Simple text and expressive illustrations tell a story of love and friendship that holds great meaning for young readers. An I Like to Read® book, Guided Reading Level D.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823429103
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/01/2013
Series:	I Like to Read Series
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	823,426
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	210L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

David McPhail has written and illustrated many books for children, including Crash! The Cat, Andrew Draws, and Boy, Bird, and Dog. He lives in Rye, New Hampshire.

Editorial Reviews

"McPhail's warm illustrations capture happy and sad emotions beautifully, but what's best here is the sweet relationship between the trio."—Booklist
 
"Simple declarative sentences, understated humor, and emotive ink-and-watercolor illustrations make this a tender pick for beginning readers."—Publishers Weekly
 
"Designed in picture-book format but with controlled vocabulary, this title and others in the series could be a welcome change of pace for emerging readers."—School Library Journal
 
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

From the Publisher

The shaggy haired boy that McPhail introduced in Boy, Bird, and Dog (who also resembles characters from the author/illustrator’s other books) is sick in bed in this addition to the I Like to Read series. The boy’s mother tends to him, while his pet dog and a black bird keep him company and bring gifts—like a bone (“ ‘Chew it,’ says Dog. ‘But don’t eat it,’ ”) and a slice of pizza. By book’s end, the tables have turned, and Boy has a chance to comfort Dog and Bird. Simple declarative sentences, understated humor, and emotive ink-and-watercolor illustrations make this a tender pick for beginning readers. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1—This sequel to Boy, Bird, and Dog (Holiday House, 2011) continues the eponymous trio's gentle adventures. Sick in bed, Boy is offered soup from Mom, a bone from Dog, and a pizza slice from Bird. He chooses the soup, and the next day he is fine. Bird and Dog decide to eat their proffered foods-and wind up not feeling so well themselves. So Boy patiently sits with them during their malaise, and after some naps they're up and about and ready to play. Talking animals and birds who eat pizza add a modicum of make-believe to a story otherwise firmly grounded in the everyday life of a young child. The ultra-spare plot is fleshed out with sweetly humorous touches in the ink and watercolor illustrations that offer ready clues to textual meaning. Designed in picture-book format but with controlled vocabulary, this title and others in the series could be a welcome change of pace for emerging readers.—Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT

School Library Journal

A sick boy's devoted friends try to help him feel better. Dog lies on Boy's feet to help him get warm, then shares his bone with him. (Boy eats his mom's chicken soup instead.) Bird comes calling, but Dog tells him Boy is sick, and he flies off, returning with a slice of pizza to help him get well. (Boy doesn't eat that either.) Feeling better the next day, Boy and Dog head to the tree house and find Bird sick (too much pizza). At this point, the minimalist story devolves even further, losing the slight humor of the first part. "Boy and Dog sit with Bird. // Then Bird is fine. / But Dog is sick.…Boy and Bird sit with Dog. // Then they nap. / Dog jumps up. ‘I am fine,' he says." Upon which, the three happily play together with a ball. Unlike its precursor, Boy, Bird, and Dog (2011), this one feels (and reads) like a Dick and Jane primer, stilted language, thin plot and all. McPhail's ink-and-watercolor artwork depicts the three friends in the softly colored, rounded vignettes on each page that, along with the 64 simple words and short sentences, help those new to reading decode the words. Just doesn't compare to Shelley Moore Thomas and Jennifer Plecas' similarly themed Get Well, Good Knight (2002) or even to the trio's prior adventure. (Early reader. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews