“I can influence the king,” the peasant boy said to his friend.

“No you can’t!” his friend replied. “You’re just a peasant boy, and he’s the king.”

The peasant boy’s boast triggers a chain of events that culminates within the palace walls. Along this delightful journey across a countryside of old, the two friends observe daily village life to see if the boy’s boast will come true. The Boy Who Influenced the King is a story that reminds all readers, young and old alike, that we can each have an influence on our world and encourages us to set lofty goals. The timelessness of human nature is subtly intertwined with the strands of community, where self-confidence is met with success.

Sheila Ponsford creates stories to share with the children in her life based on her perceptions of how children view their world. Her stories are fun, engaging, and always contain a life message. Sheila is a mother, grandmother, and retired teacher. She lives close to a forest in Prince George, British Columbia, with her husband and two rescue dogs. Sheila was an awarded an Honours in Writing Certificate in the Writing and New Media Technology program at the College of New Caledonia, Prince George, B.C. A lifelong writer, this is a follow-up to Sheila’s first book, The Muffluppits, published in 2019.