Kingdomtales

Widhi Saputro lives in Jakarta, in his native country of Indonesia. Although he excels at artistic concept and design, it is even more remarkable that he has never had any formal training. Widhi recalls that his passion for drawing developed in early childhood. He simply loved drawing. He gained skills by watching how other artists worked and by using the internet as a learning tool. As he prepared for a career in architecture, he found that he could not dismiss his passion for creative art, so he began to apply disciplines learned in his architectural training to further develop his artistic talent. Though his early work was produced along traditional lines, he realized that he could leverage the power of the digital age by rendering his artwork on his computer. Widhi is quick to note that mastering artistic skills is a life-long process. He continues to study caricatures and classical, Renaissance and Indonesian art to gain a greater understanding of style, perspective, color, and co...

Once upon a time, there was a King who walked astride his world—here, there, and everywhere. He became poor in order to be like the people he loved, and he lived among the outcasts in order to feel their pain. The baking complex was hidden in the heart of Deepest Forest, close to the clearing where the Great Celebrations were held. It was important to the Chief Baker that the breads from his ovens be served warm and fresh at the banquet tables. He had carefully planned this cluster of stone houses where the bakers lived and the many, outdoor clay ovens—some large, some small, some with roaring fires, some with smoldering charcoal beds. Each oven was designed to bake a different kind of bread to perfection. This baker had worked hard to become chief. His father had been a baker and his grandfather before that, but he had his own particular genius for making bread. His doughs were lighter and more nourishing than any his ancestors had ever kneaded! There wasn’t a dough of any kind—wheat ...

When she was only 11 years old, Katalin “Katyus” Kovács began attending art school. She later studied advertising design at Partium Christian University in Oradea, Romania to develop the skills that have made her the talented artist that she is today. The Tales of the Kingdom project was an ideal fit for Katyus, because illustrating books – especially children’s books – is her favorite medium. She told us that she was excited about the 99 Design contest and the Tales of the Kingdom, “from the first moment, the first impression, when I read the story, until the last part of the project.” Her excitement can literally be seen in her art. Not all that many years ago, it might have been difficult for a woman in the small village of Bäile Tuşnad, Romania, to make it to the international stage with her artwork. But with the emergence of the internet, this young lady in this quaint village in the mountain valley alongside the Olt River, some three-and-one-half hours north of Bucharest, is now ...

The subjects of the Kingdom worked hard keeping Great Park beautiful. Some were gardeners. Some were foresters. Some were vinedressers. Some were experts on animal husbandry. Some were guides for strangers. Some were healers. But no matter how hard they worked, they loved to play. The game the children played best was seek-the-King. . . . “I saw the King!” exclaimed Amanda as she burst breathlessly into Mercie’s cottage. Two little red foxes came bounding through the door after her, one bumping to a halt on top of the other. “I saw the King on Sighting Day!” she repeated, proud of her success. “How wonderful!” replied Mercie, who had just walked Man-Who-Sat-Like-Stone to a chair by a window where the sun shone in. Once seated, the man didn’t move. He didn’t turn his head. He didn’t say a word. Mercie said he must have experienced some awful grief in his life. Hero’s little brother often crawled into the man’s lap and patted his cheek, but still he didn’t move. In a way, they were two o...

And now, evil lifted its head at the noise of chaos. As smoke billowed from Great Park, dark figures began to advance out of the Enchanted City. . . . Caretaker rushed into the cottage carrying Princess Amanda in his arms. He laid the child on a cot. Mercie gasped to see her. “What has happened?” she asked. “Fire fighting,” the old man answered, and the look he gave his wife told all: Because of Princess Amanda’s disobedience, Great Park was now vulnerable to danger. Croi-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e! Croie! Croie! The Ranger horns blasted the warning over and over. Fire! Danger! “Do what you can for her, but quickly!” Caretaker ordered, hurrying toward the door. “Then come to Inmost Circle. The Enchanter’s men are rushing the gate. You will be needed right away.” Immediately, Mercie turned and went to the fireplace where she quickly mixed together a basin full of herb salves. “Hero,” she called, “I need your help. Dip these clean rags into the bowl. Then cover the child’s burns. Like so.” Mercie...

  Not long ago, two children in Great Park made a quest: a boy who sought a way to walk through the thing he dreaded most and a girl who feared she had lost the One she loved most. And together they discovered the Kingdom within and without, which all do, who have the courage to make the quest. The War of Fire had been won, but a terrible feeling of evil permeated Great Park. Dark beings seemed to lurk in every shadow and behind every tree and bush. “Oh, Mercie. It’s all my fault,” Amanda cried, after she had returned to the safety of Caretaker’s Cottage. “I did it. I disobeyed. Great Park has suffered because of me. We will never be the same. Never.” Mercie rocked the blistered child in her arms and wept, too. She offered the girl the healing draught and applied a poultice. She prayed for kingslove, but Amanda did not receive any comfort. A raw wound festered deep in her soul. Later that night, Hero hurried to the Ranger Lodge where council had been called. Caretaker, not the Rang...

Once upon a time there was a lad, with boyhood behind him and manhood close, who heard the call of the King to follow him into Enchanted City and do the work of the Kingdom. . . . Hero was afraid. He watched the Ranger hold a burning torch to the ring of stones that circled the place of the Great Celebration. The Sacred Flames ignited with a w-o-o-O-O-O-SH, lifted the hems of the blue robes of the protectors of Great Park, who stood as sentries around Inmost Circle. The silver insignia of the Rangers caught the light and flashed in the outer circle around the rim of fire. Tonight he would leave these friends, leave Mercie and Caretaker, leave these woods, these dear fields, leave everything in the world he had come to love. Well, almost everything, he reminded himself: What he loved most in the world was the King and to be a King’s man and to do the King’s work. And the voice of that King, the most beautiful of men, had spoken inwardly only this morning: It is time. It is time to begin...

Heralds stood on broadcast columns throughout Enchanted City and shouted news. They announced special events as well as the hour of the night. Because of power-outs, however, no one really knew the correct time. One herald might proclaim, “Midnight. All’s well!” while another shouted “Ten-thirty o’clock. Half-night approaches!” No wonder citizens suffered from indigestion; they were always eating dinner at the wrong hour. Doubletalk, Triple Tongue, and Theysay were friends. The three boys had grown up in Moire Oxan, the tenement slums which stretched for miles, hovel stacked upon hovel. Together they endured illness, poverty, hunger, and branding. When Theysay’s parents died, the other two helped him escape orphan dragnets by hiding him back and forth in their own tenement hovels, at great risk of penalty to themselves. All were now heralds of the Enchanter—and proud of their accomplishment. It was something for penniless young men to rise to heraldship, to stand on the tall broadc...

Some people in Enchanted City said that taxis could get you wherever you needed to go, even in power-outs. Some people said that the City Taxi Company was not afraid of Burners and Breakers and Naysayers—but no one said it very loudly. The sharp wind moaned through the flop hole where Hero tried to sleep. These lonely weeks in Enchanted City had been dreadful. He was hungry and cold and felt lost. Above all, though he was ashamed to admit it, he was afraid. No one would give him work, and what little money he had was running low. He had no idea how to sight the King, and the ominous spell of the Enchanter was weighing his heart with laden dread. Hero longed for the daylight of Great Park, for Caretaker and Mercie, for the laughter of friends, for the comforting sound of the watchkeepers crying, “But the kingdom comes!” He longed for home. Light spilled through the cracks in the rickety shelters of Moire Oxan. The sentry cry of patrols disturbed the slumber of the weary people.  Sle...

What comes to your mind first when you think of Tales of the Kingdom? If it is that it is an allegory, that’s fine, because it is. But we encourage you to follow this series of blogs until you see the Tales as a tool for teaching Biblical principles in a format that young children can readily understand. Just like Bible stories, the point is not the story itself, it is the lesson that the story teaches. Embracing Our Scars Some scars are uglier than others. Regardless of their size and shape, no one likes to have scars. Some scars are hidden and some are where the whole world can see. The bigger and uglier the scar, the more we want to hide it, because we don’t want the world to see us as ugly. And we don’t want people to make fun of our scars. In Tales of the Kingdom, Scarboy’s scars are a result of wounds inflicted by others, so the suffering he endures, both in the wounding and from the ensuing embarrassment, is not his fault. Nonetheless, the scars impose the effect of their ugline...

What comes to your mind first when you think of Tales of the Kingdom? If it is that it is an allegory, that’s fine, because it is. But we encourage you to follow this series of blogs until you see the Tales as a tool for teaching Biblical principles in a format that young children can readily understand. Just like Bible stories, the point is not the story itself, it is the lesson that the story teaches. Defeating the Dragons You never know when you will have to face a dragon. There may be one lurking just around the corner, waiting frighten you will its menacing look, its mighty roar and its fiery breathe. When a wise person is aware of potential danger, they prepare ahead of time so that they are not overcome by the element of surprise. They know what a dragon looks like, they understand how dragons act, learn how to defend themselves and, ultimately, how to defeat a dragon. A foolish person walks through life believing that, somehow, they are immune from attack. They get caught off g...

As we near the end of our Kickstarter campaign, we are thrilled to introduce you to Zhivko Zhelev, the illustrator for the new editions of   Tales of the Kingdom!   You’ve been seeing his breathtaking illustrations all over our blogs and Kickstarter page and now we want you to get to know him as we have. It isn’t a surprise that Bulgarian artist, Zhivko Zhelev, was chosen as a winner in the Tales of the Kingdom art competition – or that he was chosen to be the new illustrator for the trilogy. Artistically talented from a young age, Zhivko entered his first International Competition at age seven and came in fourth place. During his teenage years, he studied at a fine art High School and went on to attend the university where he studied informatics and continued to develop his abilities as an illustrator. Today, living in beautiful Plovdiv, Bulgaria, he continues to work diligently to enhance and improve his skills. “I have a broad spectrum of creative areas I like to pursue,” h...

  This is the all-new 30th Anniversary Edition of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy, autographed by both authors, and available at $89.85/set direct from publisher OR BUY 4 GET 1 FREE ($67.50/set = best price online anywhere). All three anniversary books are in stock for immediate delivery! Each book in this 30th Anniversary Edition of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy is published with superior specifications, including: Smyth-sewn bindery; 4mm front and back covers; high-quality paper; end sheets and end caps. In addition, each comes hand-signed by David & Karen Mains, and embossed, to validate its authenticity as a long-lasting, collectible, keepsake edition. In the tradition of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien come these heartwarming allegories of good and evil from best-selling authors David and Karen Mains. Your entire family will be entranced as Scarboy and his friends boldly follow the one True King to overcome the evil Enchanter and his tenacious hold on the residents of Enchanted City. ...

Is there any moment more wonderful than one spent in a really good discussion around the books we read and love? Ideas bounce off our family and friends, and we sometimes learn we saw things that others missed and that they made discoveries about the meaning of the story we overlooked. David Mains, one of the authors of the Tales of the Kingdom Trilogy, has taken the time to design 36 sets of discussion questions, one set for each story of the three trilogies. Each book contains exactly 12 stories. Make sure you challenge your family (or that they challenge you) with the rich and deeper meaning of each tale. You see, these are more than just great stories, beloved by many. They are based on universal truths children as well as adults long to know. They deal with common human longings? These questions were designed to make sure you don’t miss those deeper meanings. To the Kingdom! Click here , to learn more about the product.  

  An   exciting series   from   award-winning authors   David and Karen Mains, the Tales books offer   fast-paced action and exciting storytelling   with a Christian theme. You'll enjoy the   beautiful, full-color illustrations   as well. In Tales of the Restoration, the long awaited conclusion in the Kingdom Tales trilogy, the one True King has broken the reign of the evil Enchanter and the restoration has begun. You'll  meet Grandma Vigilantes, the Girl with the Very Loud Outside Voice, along with beloved friends Little Child, the Princess Amanda , Hero, and others. Each character is learning how to find a special place in Bright City, to do a job no one else can do. This  delightful resource will captivate both children and adults  as they discover the hidden  biblical truths within each story . 109 pages, hardcover, with  12 full-color illustrations  by Diana Magnuson. These  wonderful picture books ...

  An exciting series from   best-selling authors   David and Karen Mains, the   gold-medallion, award-winning   Tales of the Resistance offers readers   fast-paced action and exciting storytelling   with a Christian theme. You'll enjoy the   beautiful, full-color illustrations   as well. The book, Tales of the Resistance, contains  12 stories  about Hero's participation in the underground taxi resistance against the evil Enchanter, challenger to the one True King.  High drama unfolds  as everywhere Hero turns there are suffering people in need of his help! You'll  meet Carny, Doubletalk, Sewer Rat #1, the Boiler Brat and the Most Beautiful Player of All . And you'll  feel the tension of Traffic Court and the Burning Place . Bost mostly, your readers will be reminded that God's Kingdom is all around us, if we care to find it, and that the presence of the King dispels all darkness from our hearts and souls. This is...

Is Jesus' message about the Kingdom of God sometimes confusing to you? If you believe your knowledge of Christ's Kingdom - or your understanding of its importance - is limited, take heart. This book was not written for theologians, but for the average church person to understand and relate to. In this companion book to David and Karen Mains's popular Kingdom Tales trilogy, you are provided with all the information you need to understand and appreciate this key biblical topic. In 30 short-but-powerful chapters, you will discover, in layman's language, how this exciting message captured the crowds when our Lord was here, and why it continues to do so all across the world even today. Click here , to know more about the product.

  An exciting series from   best-selling authors   David and Karen Mains, the   gold-medallion award-winning   Tales of the Kingdom offers fast-paced action and   exciting storytelling with a enduring Christian message . Enjoy the   beautiful, full-color illustrations   as these   classic allegories   teach kids and adults the importance of trusting God as they unveils   fundamental truths about good and evil . Action, intrigue, and danger  follow Scarboy wherever he goes, especially in the Enchanted City, where the "imperfect" are cast away and orphans are enslaved.  Scarboy manages to escape  the evil enchanter to safety in Great Park, but has yet to confront his greatest fear---and he'll need enormous courage to conquer it! This book is  95 pages  of unforgettable stories in  durable hardcover binding  with  12 full-color, full-page illustrations  from  renowned artist  Jack ...