7 Picture Book Reads for Sick Day Blues

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead and Erin Stead
When daily zoo-visitor Amos McGee takes a day off due to feeling under the weather, the zoo comes to him! His animal friends join him at his bedside, and do the things they love to do together at the zoo, at his bedside. Is that a sick day or the sickest day ever? I’m sure his animal friends helped Amos McGee feel much better—that is, until he had to clean his apartment after they went back to the zoo.

Miss Nelson is Missing, Henry Allard and James Marshall
Miss Nelson’s class is so poorly behaved that their beleaguered teacher disappears! When mean Miss Viola Swamp appears in her ugly black dress, the class sees the error of their ways and longs for the teacher they mistreated. Miss Nelson miraculously reappears, and the class is relieved. Never, in the history of the world, has a classroom full of children behaved better for a substitute teacher. Still, this is a very enjoyable fantasy, especially among substitute teachers.

A Bad Case of Stripes, by David Shannon
As someone who has personally been the center of a medical and media spectacle created around my own case of mysterious, color changing stripes, I can assure you that the common cold is considerably more enjoyable. In this book, Camilla has the case of the stripes, and no one can figure out how to cure it. Dry unembellished text relates Camilla’s ordeal while outlandish illustrations truly illuminate the situation. Happily, Camilla’s stripes have a simple cure, and it’s very quick to take effect. I, however, still suffer an occasional recurring stripe.

Bob, Not Bob!: *To be read as though you have the worst cold ever, by Liz Garton Scanlon, Audrey Vernick, and Matthew Cordell
Poor Louie: he’s got a stuffy head and nothing feels right. All he wants is his mom, but when he calls her, the dog shows up for some reason. Oh yeah! The dog’s name is Bob, and words sound funny when you’re congested. This excellent read-aloud will have even the grouchiest of patients snickering as Louie tries to communicate through his cold.

C.R. Mudgeon, by Leslie Muir and Julian Hector
C.R. Mudgeon is a hedgehog who is comfortable in his routine. When sassy squirrel Paprika moves in next door, his days become full of headaches, seeing spots, and even his favorite celery soup tastes wrong. The new neighbor brings unwanted color to C.R.’s life, and he certainly doesn’t like the change. When things suddenly go back to normal for Mr. Mudgeon, he finds he misses the way Paprika shook things up, and he wonders why she’s gone. Nursing his new friend back to maraca-rattling health helps C.R. Mudgeon realize his routine could benefit from a little shaking up.

Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months, by Maurice Sendak
There’s a little understood but widely accepted phenomenon where various physical ailments (especially colds) are made better by the liberal application of chicken soup. This beloved, rhyming ode to soup will warm your heart and charm you into feeling better any day of the year.

Imogene’s Antlers, by David Small
The Thursday that Imogene wakes with giant antlers sprouting from her head, her family is perplexed as well as inspired. Antlers make some things (getting dressed) harder and some things (drying dishtowels, feeding birds) easier, but nothing explains where the antlers came from or why Imogene has them. Between bouts of fainting, Imogene’s mother attempts to hide the antlers, and hilarity ensues. It’s a strange day for Imogene, but like many ailments, the antlers only last 24 hours. The next day, however, is another thing altogether.