A Sick Day for Amos McGee

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
2011 Caldecott Medal

The illustrations in this book are pencil drawings combined with blocks of color. It's a sweet whimsical story of an old man zoo keeper and his daily visits with various animals in the zoo. He runs races with the (who never lost), played chess with the elephant (who thought and thought and thought before a move, etc. When he gets a cold, the animals take the bus to his house and return the favor.

I might have passed this by if I'd not known it was a medal winner. But it is warm story of devotion in friendship and the bonds that that creates.