Last school year, at some point, I saw a blurb on Love2Learn Blog that Hillside Education was seeking students’ renditions of The Creation of Adam to be used as the cover art for a new book. It just so happens that my homeschool curriculum (Mother of Divine Grace) encourages the occasional copying of works of art, and it just so happened that the art work Billy was studying included this piece by Michelangelo. Naturally, I had him copy it, and I sent it in.

His copy was not selected for the cover. But that’s okay.

As a thank you for participating, Margot Davidson (who IS Hillside Education), sent Billy a copy of In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home by Mary C. Gildersleeve.

This is a gem of a book. The first part of the book explains what she means by creativity, and why she feels it is important to foster it in your home.

The second part has some suggestions for various crafts (no photos or exact instructions as she wants students to fill in the gaps with their own imagination). Each chapter includes a different category of craft (for example: needlecrafts), and she thoughtfully lists the Dewey Decimal numbers you would need to find appropriate books at the library in those related categories.

And in the appendices, she includes an annotated bibliography and a list of online resources for shopping.

Perhaps the best part, aside from the library numbers, are the blank spaces she includes for you to fill in with your notes or other resources. The book is meant to be written in and referenced often. I found the online resource section particularly helpful as I was trying to plan my Christmas shopping.

Aside from a heavy bias in favor of knitting (an admirable craft, but I prefer sewing), this book is excellent. I recommend it to those who want to encourage creativity in themselves and their children but do not know where to start. It is also a good resource for someone, like me, who enjoys one particular craft but wishes to support her child’s interests in different crafts and needs some help on how to do that.

If you do happen to get the book, all the artwork submitted for the cover contest is inside, including Billy’s. As I mentioned, Billy received this book for free, and I was under no obligation to review it. I have received no other compensation for this review. The book is enough. Thank you, Margot.