Book Review: Blue Like Play Dough

Blue Like Play Dough caught my attention for two reasons. First, I read Tricia Goyer’s blog for a little and heard lots about her books, so I was interested in finally reading one. Second, I’m a sucker for books about motherhood, especially ones that promise to be inspirational and encouraging.

I wasn’t disappointed. Blue Like Play Dough is almost an autobiography, chronicling Goyer’s journey to faith and what God taught her through her children. She is honest and refreshing, admitting her weaknesses and mistakes as well as her successes.

Goyer talks about having her grandparents move in with her family, caring for a dying grandfather, starting a pregnancy care centre, dealing with the pain of an abortion, being a single teen mom, finding the perfect church home, and other topics. The book became a great pick-me-up in the middle of mothering messes or a fussy baby.

One chapter that stood out to me was the chapter on homeschooling. Goyer talks about meeting the family who inspired her to homeschool: “What I noticed first was how their teenagers behaved. They enjoyed playing with the younger kids. They enjoyed talking with adults. They liked spending time with their parents. They were respectful and fun to be around. They set themselves apart, not because of how they dressed or how they ate, but because of how they loved.” That captures most of the homeschoolers I grew up with, and what I hope to achieve by homeschooling Sunshine.

Goyer admits that homeschooling wasn’t easy, telling how observing a spider spin a web sent them on a search for more information about spiders that made learning fun. She says, “We even went to the library and checked out books about spiders. And as we rode home singing ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’ at the top of our lungs, I felt this inner voice telling me, This is what it’s all about. Not that I didn’t need lesson plans to teach math and science and writing, but that I could view our learning as a time of bonding and fun. It wasn’t just about inserting facts into my kids’ brains. It was about connecting with their hearts.”

Blue Like Play Dough is a book that I want to lend to all my mommy friends—on the condition that they give it back when they’re done reading it, because I know I’ll want to read it again myself.

This book was provided for review courtesy of the publisher or publicist.