Last night we spent some time in my creativity and teaching class going around meeting each other and looking at our homemade nametags. I neglected to do my homework this week…mommy overload. My prof let me off the hook. One of my classmates, Erika, had a cute nametag cutout of her name and on it were glued some of her favorite things including some of her favorite children’s books. A book title caught my eye because I’d never heard of it before. It’s unusual for someone to have a favorite children’s book I haven’t heard of. It was called It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw.
Naturally I couldn’t help myself -- I stopped in the school library this morning and borrowed a copy when I dropped the kids off at school. What I found was a delightful little book published in 1947. It is a simple book with simple illustrations. The entire book is written and illustrated in navy blue and white. It is this simplicity that makes it so delightful.
We live in a time complicated by information overload. Our schedules are jam- packed. Shaw’s simple story brings us back to lying down in a field staring up at the sky gazing at the clouds. He brings me to memories of lazy days with my friends laughing and having fun. Through this quiet little story we can share those times with our children and perhaps allow them a break in their overloaded days to gaze at the sky and see a little spilt milk.
