Pistes d'exploration

What was Amos' job? Do you think he got paid for spending time with the animals? Look for clues in the book to justify your answers.

How do Amos and the animals take care of each another? How do you take care of your friends? Draw a picture of yourself and a friend doing something you enjoy.

Add another animal to the list of characters that Amos visits. Describe what your animal and Amos would do together.

Look at the pictures in the book. Talk about the animals and objects you see. What are Amos and the animals doing?

Make a T-chart to compare how Amos helps the animals at the zoo and how the animals help Amos when he is sick.

Make a class list of animals that are found in zoos. Imagine games you could play with these animals.

Draw a picture of yourself helping a sick family member or friend. Explain what you are doing.

Amos & Boris

Mots-clés

Picture book , animals , friendship , kindness , loyalty , routine , sickness , zoos

Commentaire descriptif

Every morning after his “alarm clock clangs” and he “swaps his pajamas for a fresh-pressed uniform”, Amos McGee ambles out the door “belly full and ready for the workday.” A friendly but busy zookeeper, he always manages to carve out time to visit with all of his good friends, which include a chess-playing elephant, a timid penguin and a night-fearing owl, among others. One day, when Amos is too sick to make it to work, the appreciative animals hop on a bus to go care for him. The simple but rich plot draws attention to how Amos individualizes his interactions with each of the animals and how they, in turn, repay his kindness. The runny-nosed rhinoceros, for example, for whom Amos always has a handkerchief at the ready, is equally accommodating when Amos sneezes. The tale's timeless, classic feel extends to the artwork, which uses woodblock printing techniques and pencil as well as a spare, soft palette to recreate the sweet, anthropomorphic details of the animals (e.g. a penguin wearing socks, a pensive, gentle-eyed elephant) that reveal their profound humanity. Some scenes rely on visuals alone to carry the narrative forward. Understated and sweet, this read-aloud could be used to introduce a discussion about the true nature of friendship.