I’m pleased to announce the publication of my new picture book:
A RING FOR A KING: A Tale of King Solomon
written by Marth Seif Simpson
illustrated and designed by D. Yael Bernhard
Wisdom Tales Press, 2025
A Ring For A King is my third picture book with Martha Simpson, an award-winning author and librarian with a lifelong passion for children’s books. Our previous titles together are The Dreidel That Wouldn’t Spin: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah and Esther’s Gragger: A Toyshop Tale of Purim. I was delighted to collaborate with Martha again – but as an illustrator, I don’t work directly with the author; instead, our editor, Roger Gaetini, worked with both of us, and helped shape the book’s development, from first draft to final printing. Roger made the whole process thoroughly enjoyable.
Here’s the title page spread:
I began work on A Ring For A King over two years ago, and completed the illustrations at the end of 2023. The project took me back 3000 years to the palace of King Solomon, who is believed to have reigned over the united kingdom of Israel and Judah from approximately 971-930 BCE. Ten years prior to accepting this assignment, I had visited the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem, which covers the history of the ancient city. There I took numerous photographs of relief sculptures, pottery, murals, dioramas, facsimiles, and other objects that brought to life the everyday activities of those times. I had an inkling I might need these photos someday.
Imagine my delight when, years later, I had the opportunity to use them for illustration reference. I loved depicting the palace corridors and kitchen, the shepherds and fruit peddlers, the King’s throne and the protagonist of the story: young Ezra, the cupbearer who wins the King’s favor when he solves a conundrum that addles the weary monarch.
Equally pleasing was the theme of the book, which tells the origins of a phrase my maternal grandmother often used. So did King Solomon, when Ezra helped him find the magic words that would make “a sad man hopeful and a proud man humble.” The Hebrew words gam zeh ya’avor – גם זה יעבור – translate to mean “This too shall pass.” As I wrote in the Artist’s Note at the back of the book: “As a child, I took [the phrase] as an expression of the power of time; later I came to understand how it speaks to the unpredictable nature of life, and the importance of riding the changing tides of fate with equanimity and faith."
It’s no accident that Martha wrote A Ring For A King during the pandemic – she wanted to offer comfort and hope in the knowledge that “this too shall pass.” You just never know where a creative spark will come from! Perhaps Martha will write another story someday about how good outcomes arise from bad times . . .
The story is simple, targeted for children ages 4-8, and most important, is told from a child’s point of view. This is Martha’s strength as a writer: she takes stories that were originally told for all ages, and finds a way to introduce a child protagonist, whose eyes provide an innocent perspective on the challenge met and the lesson learned. Children’s book authors must simplify a plot to its very essence in order to make it accessible to young readers – a task that is surprisingly difficult. As a librarian who has worked with thousands of children over decades of interactions, she understands this and accomplishes it seamlessly.
And where the words leave off, the illustrations pick up the thread. The reigning motto of children’s book illustration is “show, don’t tell” – in other words, what the story doesn’t tell, the pictures do. Facial expressions, clothing, body language, background details, and numerous other visual elements flesh out both content and context.
You can read an interview with Martha and me here, and order a signed copy of A Ring For A King here.
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!