Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was Baba Yaga…remember the house that stood on chicken legs and could go here and there? Folktales always capture my attention…and today’s story from Martha Seif Simpson has that folktale feel, A RING FOR A KING.

A RING FOR A KING: A Tale of King Solomon

Written by Martha Seif Simpson

Illustrated by D. Yael Bernhard

Published by Wisdom Tales

And guess what? Author Martha stopped by to chat about why she wrote the book and the challenges along the way.

ME: Welcome, Martha. Thank you for stopping by.
What inspired you to write the story?

MARTHA: I heard this story years ago as part of a rabbi’s sermon and it stayed in the back of my mind.

In 2020, when we were all stuck inside because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I came across the story again in a folktale anthology. The original tale has a different name, which I don’t want to say in the interview because that phrase is the punchline of my book. But I thought it was very appropriate considering we were all miserable and afraid and wondering if the pandemic would ever end. I wanted to write a story that said things would eventually get better.

I started to research the phrase and discovered that the earliest references did indeed come up as a story about King Solomon, who reigned in Israel from around 970 to 931 BCE. Some folklorists attributed the phrase to a 13^th century Persian Sufi poet named Farid Al-din Attar of Nishapu. Versions of the story appeared in various cultures around the world and throughout history. Abraham Lincoln even referred to it in a campaign speech in 1859!

In every variation of the tale I found, all the characters were men. The king would talk to an advisor or soldier, or maybe a farmer and a scholar were in the story. I decided to retell it from a child’s perspective so it would appeal to a younger audience. I like the idea of a humble servant boy being the one to solve mighty King Solomon’s dilemma.

ME:: Thank you for sharing this. And how about any challenges along the path to publication?

MARTHA: Absolutely every version I read had the king asking, “What can you say to make a sad person happy and a happy person sad?” So that’s what I originally used in my story. When I showed it to my critique partners and family, they all had the same reaction – “Why would you want to make a happy person sad?” And I’d answer, “But that’s how the story goes!” I finally realized that if I wanted to sell my book, I’d have to find another way to word the king’s question. I eventually came up with, “What can you say to make a sad person hopeful and a proud person humble?” Once I figured that out, the rest of the story fell into place.

ME: That’s wonderful! Thank you so much for stopping by, Martha.

To find out more about Martha and her books:

Martha Seif Simpson is an award-winning librarian and the former Head of Children’s Services at the Stratford Library, where she worked for 28 years. She is a past chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee and now volunteers at a synagogue library. Martha is the author of What NOT to Give Your Mom on Mother’s Day, The Dreidel That Wouldn’t Spin: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah, Esther’s Gragger: A Toyshop Tale of Purim, and A Ring for a King: A Tale of King Solomon. She lives in Connecticut when she’s not travelling the world with her husband. Check her website for printable book activities and her monthly newsletter, The Simpsonian Muse.
Website: https://www.martha-seif-simpson.com
Facebook: Martha Kidlit Author
@marthakidlitauthor.bsky.social
Instagram: martha_kidlit_author

And here’s a little bit about the illustrator
D. YAEL BERNHARD was raised in New York’s Hudson Valley and began painting at the age of 13. Her education is a mix of independent study and formal art training at the Art Students’ League of NY, the School of Visual Arts, Purchase College, and Empire State College.
 Yael’s artwork explores both personal and archetypal imagery through contemporary techniques. Her themes include birth and mothering, healing and transformation, animals and nature, family and community, myth and dream, ritual, prayer – and more.

Yael is the illustrator and/or author of numerous children’s books – including fiction and non-fiction, natural science titles and multicultural folktales. She brings a variety of influences to her work, including a lifelong passion for West African music and dance, Eastern and Western religion, nutrition and cooking, and the natural world. Her experience as the mother of three children and as an arts-in-ed teacher has also shaped her creative work.
Yael paints in gouache, acrylics, and water-based oils, and also experiments with natural materials such as birch bark, rice paper, and hemp fiber to create unique painting surfaces. Her artwork encompasses several different styles, and has been published on everything from book and CD covers to business logos, brochures, websites, and educational textbooks. She has also created logos and illustrations for midwives and healers, musicians and storytellers, and religious and environmental causes.
Her website is https://dyaelbernhard.com/

She doesn’t use social media.

MARTHA: This is my third book with Wisdom Tales, illustrated by D. Yael Bernhard and edited by Roger Gaetani. I think we make a great team!

Preferred purchase link

Order from Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-ring-for-a-king-a-tale-of-king-solomon-demi/21681459?ean=9781957670119

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-ring-for-a-king-martha-seif-simpson/1146361300?ean=9781957670119

Amazon: 

ME: Martha has a request and it’s an important one. She’d love readers to contact her and say they read this interview! And she really appreciates it when readers post nice reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
And I agree…I looked at One Girl’s Voice on Amazon – it’s been out for just about 2 months…and guess how many reviews there are? 12. That’s right…only 1 dozen reviews. Now, that surprises me because 586 people participated in #50PreciousWords…and lots of people know me – and many have read the book and said they loved it. So, dear friends and lovers of books, if you read a book and enjoy it, please take a few minutes to write a review.

Thank you for whether it’s mine or Martha’s or someone else’s…please take a minute or two and write a review on Amazon/Barnes & Nobel/Goodreads or wherever you like to review books! I just wrote a review for Martha’s book!

Thank you for spending your precious time with us. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I’m in Europe right now…and will be home April 24…maybe when I get home, Martha’s book and my book will have a bunch more reviews. 🙂