Akinyemi’s book, The King’s Child, focuses on positively shaping children’s character

A review of Tofunmi Akinyemi’s book ‘The King’s Child’ by Adewale Oshodi.

Tofunmi Akinyemi’s book, The King’s Child, focuses on getting the best out of children by helping them understand their personal worth, the need to live godly lives, and to be considerate of other people. The book consists of 48 pages and consists of six chapters.

The author, through Merriam-Webster Dictionary, defines a king as “a male ruler of a country who usually inherits his position and rules of life”; while the Cambridge English Dictionary describes a queen as “a woman who rules a country because she was born into a royal family or a woman who is married to a king.”

Akinyemi educates the reader by stating that there are some countries in the world that are ruled by kings and queens. Some of these include Andorra, Austria, Bahrain, Cambodia, Denmark, England, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, etc.

She goes on to state that while there are kings on earth, there is the king of all the earth. To engage the reader, she asks, “Are you amazed that there should be a King greater and mightier than all the rulers of this world; even the rulers of powerful and popular nations such as England, America, Germany or China? Yes there is.…”

The author supports this with the biblical quote from the book of Psalm 47 verses 7 and 8, which says: “For God is the King of all the earth; … God rules over the nations; God sits on His holy Throne.” She then focuses on the qualities a child must portray in order to become the child of this great King of all the earth!

Akinyemi stated in the Book that the King’s Child does not live carefree; and therefore urges the reader to be a king’s child by living godly and working hard in their studies. Some of the other admonitions to children are: go immediately to their school duties, help their parents with household chores, avoid malpractice in exams, dress neatly and modestly, obey parents and school authorities, handle family and public property responsibly, balance self-esteem ; not feeling inferior or superior to anyone, being careful about the kind of friend one maintains.

Others include, to be humble, kind and polite in dealing with others; do to others as you want them to do to you, making time for physical exercise and relaxation. As the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” etc.

The title of the book, “The King’s Child,” can be very inviting to a child; being a prince or princess is seen as a touch of class, as kingship is associated with prestige and wealth.

The back cover of the book is colorful, attractive and child-friendly; this can spark a child’s appetite for reading.

In addition, the cover design features a crown, a symbol of nobility and authority; therefore, its presence on the cover of the book can attract children to the content. Everyone, including children, feels good about having some form of power and prestige.

The simplicity of the book’s presentation makes it easy for children to understand and embrace. Also, the author provided the definitions of some words to help children understand the book and increase their vocabulary.

Akinyemi’s book will be a great tool to help a child develop well and grow up to be an adult with a balanced personality. However, it will be an added benefit if the next edition of the book can include some colorful illustrations; this will further encourage a child to read it.

Finally, ‘The King’s Child’ by Tofunmi Akinyemi is a must-have for children. It will positively shape their character, help them realize early in life that they have a purpose on earth, and make them useful citizens in society.

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