The perfect alternative for Christian children, something that you can feel good about them reading to enhance their Christian faith.
The author did a wonderful job of drawing in and keeping interest, set up like a case file, and part of Barbour’s new series, The Kingdom Files.
As the back cover states Who Was She?

Was she:
. . .the beautiful Queen of Persia?
. . .the woman who hid her Jewish heritage from the king?
. . .the courageous one who risked her life to save her people?
. . .all of the above?

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 4 - 6
• Series: The Kingdom Files
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Books; Gld edition (August 1, 2018)

A perfect add to your library.

I received this book through Barbour Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Who Was Esther? is a new installment in the Kingdom Files series by Matt Koceich. Written by an elementary school teacher, this series is targeted for kids ages 8 to 12. My six year old took an immediate interest in the book and pictures. Though she reads well, because of the length of this book, it is one for us to read together. Older children will be able to easily read the narrative by themselves. There are grayscale pictures throughout.

The book is divided into three parts with the first part being the “Fact File.” This is very basic information about the character such as name, occupation, approximate time of life, etc. In this book, the “Fact File” spans two pages.

The “Action File” is the longest section and retells the Biblical story of Esther, a Jewish orphan who became Queen of Persia and saved her people from annihilation. This section also features “clues” to aid the reader's investigation into discovering the life of the character and thinking more deeply on the text. The text aligns with the Biblical narrative, but it doesn't dip into the sexual aspects of the book. No mentions of harems and concubines. However, I didn't like that Esther being taken to the king was compared with people being saved by Jesus and brought into the Father's house (page 22).

The “Power File” is the last section and my personal favorite part of the book. This portion features ten small devotions based off the story with a correlating Bible verse. I found these to be positive, empowering, appropriate for both genders, and suited to the targeted age range.

In conclusion, Who Was Esther? by Matt Koceich entertains and encourages children as it teaches the story of Esther and provides life applications.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." ( )

This is a delightful children's series called Kingdom Files, by Matt Koceich. It takes the reader (children ages 8-12) on a wonderful journey into the past to discover more about people in the Bible and to find out that each featured person did a lot of great things. I thoroughly enjoyed this book about Esther. She was a Jewish woman who became Queen. She has a lot of other things that she is known for, that Mr. Koceich has lined out for the reader to discover; using Fact File, Clues, and Power Files, so that the reader is able to quickly understand who and what Esther was really like. I enjoyed reading this book. Can't wait to share it with my grandson. There are interesting pictures throughout the book, I think the small size of the book will attract pint sized readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. ( )

These books are intended to teach kids about various biblical characters. I read the ones on David and Esther. The books are made up of various "files" for kids to investigate the particular characters in any of the given books. Starting out with a "Fact file", which gives a few facts about the person you are looking into, including a tiny timeline with about three events selected. Next comes the "Action File", giving a summary of the person's life, along with various illustrations. Lastly comes the "Power File" which gives you some ideas of what you can learn from the life of the person you are studying, and also provides you with memory verses from various books of the Bible.

I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed with these books. First of all, they seem more like books for kids younger than 8, not 8-12. The biographies skip too much, it doesn't mention that Jonathan's father tried to kill Jonathan when Jonathan defended David, it doesn't mention that David's wives were taken when the city he was living in was raided, it just said that they recovered everything that was plundered. There is no mention of David's sin with Bathsheba, or his having her husband killed, it just says later on that David made mistakes in his life. When David's son Absalom is chasing David, it has a "Clue" on the side: "David was being chased by someone close to him. He was being hunted even though he hadn't done anything wrong." But, don't we know from the Bible that this was a part of the consequence of his sin with Bathsheba (See 2 Samuel 12:11)? That was certainly something that was very wrong.

Also, the "Clues" scattered throughout their book don't make much sense to me. The introduction to the books says that the "Clue Boxes will offer applications to help you keep track of your thoughts as you make your way through the files." Okay, fine. But look at one of the "Clues" "Crags of the Wild Goats is located in the Judean wilderness. It's made up of rocky cliffs. The ibex mountain goat is found in this area". What kind of application is that? How does that help me keep track of my thoughts? It helps me keep track of the story, but doesn't keep me an application to anything. They should have just been called "Fact Boxes" or "Investigating Further". Their purpose as "Clues" just didn't make sense.

Speaking of facts, in the "Fact File" there is information that is not so factual. For instance in the fact file in the Kingdom File on David, after talking about the temple and that it was mainly used for sacrifices to God, it says, "Once a year, the high priest would go into the holy of holies, pray to God and ask God to forgive the people of Israel's sins." And so God just forgave their sins on the merit of the prayers of the high priest? I'm not sure that the High Priest prayed at all. The High Priest had to go in to the holy of holies with the blood of an animal, he couldn't just pray for the sins of the people to be forgiven, there had to be a sacrifice of an animal on their behalf. "but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the errors of the people"(Heb 9:7)ASV

In the "Kingdom File" on Esther, "On the surface, Esther's story is very similar to our spiritual life stories because she was taken from a faraway place into the presence of a king, just as Jesus saves us from our sins and brings us into His Father's house." Ummm… Esther probably wasn't the most excited when she was taken away from her home to be one of a bunch of other candidates to have a chance to be the King's replacement Queen…failing that, she would definitely become one of his concubines. She would probably rather have stayed with Mordechai, where her life surroundings were more likely to be moral. This part of Esther's story is hardly an accurate comparison to Jesus saving us from our sins.

And now for the illustrations…the cover images are pretty neat, ones I would have liked examining as a kid, but the ones on the inside would have disappointed me. Especially the ones in the David book, where, unlike on the cover, he looks very blond; so much so that when they depict him as a young man and give him a beard he actually looks old. And at least one of the pictures is biblically inaccurate. The book tells about where Saul goes into a cave and, unknown to him, David's men are there hiding and David cuts off the corner of Saul's robe. It doesn't tell WHY Saul went into the cave…but I can live with that. My problem is that this part is illustrated and has Saul wrapped up in his robe sleeping in the cave and David cutting off the corner of his robe. That's false. Not that I think that part should be illustrated in the first place, but don't illustrate it wrong!

All in all, these books just weren't accurate enough for me to like them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. ( )

Kingdom Files: Who Was Esther is a uniquely presented story about the Biblical Esther for reader ages 8-12.

The Kingdom Files series is designed to be an investigation for young reading detectives. Each case (book) is presented in three sections:

• Fact File – Information about a particular Bible character
• Action File – Bible events showing the character in action
• Power File – Information and memory verses to help the investigator in his/her own life

Informational Clue Boxes are also included to help the reading detective throughout his/her investigation.

This book investigates the life of Esther, the Jewish Queen of Persia. It reveals her being taken to the King’s castle, becoming Queen, and her plan to protect the Jewish people. It also provides memory verses and “power-ups” (or applications) helpful in daily life.

I’ve always loved the story of Esther and her heroic choices. It’s a fascinating story allowing young readers to discover the courageous acts of this God-fearing Biblical heroine.

The author, Matt Koceich, is a public school teacher. He relates well to young learners. In his series, he not only entertains, but also teaches biblical occurrences, principles, and messages of love and hope.

This series has a great concept, unique presentation, and serves as a valuable tool in teaching curious young readers.

Cover: Like
Title: Love
Pages: 96
Series: The Kingdom Files
Publisher: Barbour Books
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. ( )