# Is "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Philip C. Stead (illus. Erin E. Stead) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead (illus. Erin E. Stead) (Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter Books, 2010) is identified by: First printing is identified by the number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page (it contains the 1; note it does not literally end in 1). The US Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter hardcover of 2010 is the true first edition; it won the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing is identified by the number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page (it contains the 1; note it does not literally end in 1)
- Neal Porter Books / Roaring Brook Press imprint
- Erin Stead's woodblock-and-pencil illustrations; priced dust jacket
- The true-first jacket carries no Caldecott Medal seal, awarded in 2011
- Publisher imprint reads Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip C. Stead (illus. Erin E. Stead) |
| Publisher | Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter Books |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing is identified by the number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page (it contains the 1; note it does not literally end… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing is identified by the number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page (it contains the 1; note it does not literally end in 1). Neal Porter Books / Roaring Brook Press imprint; Erin Stead's woodblock-and-pencil illustrations; priced dust jacket. The true-first jacket carries no Caldecott Medal seal, awarded in 2011.

## Is this the true first?
The US Roaring Brook Press / Neal Porter hardcover of 2010 is the true first edition; it won the 2011 Caldecott Medal. The first-printing jacket predates the seal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the Caldecott Medal seal to the jacket. Book-club editions are typically unpriced and are not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Sick Day for Amos McGee* by Philip C. Stead (illus. Erin E. Stead) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-sick-day-for-amos-mcgee
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.