A Snow Day for Amos McGee

My kids and I love this picture book series by husband and wife duo, Erin and Philip Stead, with all of our hearts. Both Philip's words and Erin's illustrations (made, amazingly, with woodblock prints and pencil) are infused with a thoughtful quietness, a humble sensitivity to people and things and places. In their newest book in the series, A Snow Day for Amos McGee, we dwelled on the details — the owl rolling a snowball along the fence, the penguin sledding down the hill on its belly, a tiny flock of birds atop the rhinoceros's back — each one feeling like it was put there just for us. The story unfolds slowly, beautifully, as Amos, our beloved zookeeper, readies his animal friends for the snow. When the snow finally falls, they enjoy every bit of it, enveloping us all in its magic.