My children and I had the privilege of reading the book, Sanji’s Seed: A Story About Honesty, written by B.J. Reinhard. This book tells a lovely story about a poor boy named Sanji. Along with other boys, Sanji was given a test by the king. The king had no descendants and was going to choose a boy from the kingdom to train to become king after him. The test seemed simple – the king gave each boy a seed. They were to care for the seed, let it grow, and bring the plant back to the king in a month’s time. However, Sanji’s seed did not grow. He watered it, put it in the sunlight, sang to it and prayed for it. Still, the seed wouldn’t grow. When it came time to bring the plants to the king, Sanji only had a cup of dirt while the other boys had large, flowering plants. Sanji was very discouraged, until he discovered the seeds the king gave them had been boiled in oil and dried in the sun – there was no way the seed could have grown. Sanji was chosen to become the next king because of his honesty.

This book would make a wonderful addition to your homeschool days. It could be added in as a character study book. Sometimes kids do have difficulty with honesty, and this could be a wonderful springboard for some meaningful conversations with your children about how to be honest even when it’s hard, even when you’re laughed at, and even when you’re afraid of what may happen. I can think of several activities that would fit nicely with this book – planting seeds, for one! You could discuss what it takes for a seed to grow. You could boil some seeds in oil and dry them in the sun, like the king did in the story. Plant those seeds and plant some good seeds. See which one grows!

My children loved reading this book. The story is wonderful to listen to and the illustrations are beautiful. The book is a nice, hardback book with thick pages, and the font is very easy to read. I am so impressed with this book that I am going to buy several more from this publisher. This would make an excellent gift for any child who loves books.

Lamplighter Publishing prints good and wholesome books for your entire family. They have a Biblical perspective and framework to ensure that your children are learning godly character traits. These books provide inspiring role models, qualities to imitate, and traits to try to attain. There are many books on their website that look fantastic, for older children as well as younger children.

-Product review by Megan Russell, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April, 2017