King and King

Bibliography

Haan, Linda de and Stern Nijland. 2000. KING AND KING. Berkley: Tricycle Press. ISBN 1582460612

Summary

After many years of ruling, the queen decides that her son the prince must get married and become King. The queen calls all of the available princesses from near and far, but none of them seem to be just right for the prince. When the two thought there wasn’t any hope, in walks Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee. The prince instantly falls in love with Prince Lee and the two get married. Finally, the queen has time for herself and the King and King take over the thrown.

Critical Analysis

Together, Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland have created a contemporary twist on a fairy tale story. Unlike most traditional fairy tale stories where the prince finds his princess, this prince finds his prince.

In this contemporary story, the prince must find a princess to marry so that his mother the queen can have some time for herself. After a full day the queen’s nagging, the prince finally agrees to find someone to marry. “Very well, Mother. I’ll marry. I must say, though, I’ve never cared much for princesses.” The queen doesn’t pay any attention to his comment and she calls all of the single princesses. After a long day of meeting with many princesses, the prince finally meets a Prince Lee and the two fall in love.

The bright watercolors and paper art are very entertaining. The illustrators have creatively displayed the crown kitty on every page. When the princesses come to the castle to see the prince, the crown kitty mocks the princess. For example, Princess Rahjmashputtin had long arms and legs. Crown kitty is placed in the background on stilts. The font was uniquely displayed on each page. The words moved across the pages with the art. It looks like the words “I’ve had enough!” are coming right out of the queen’s mouth. When the prince and Prince Lee meet for the first time, an arch of hearts dance from one prince to the other.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly reviewed: “Unfortunately, the multimedia collages are cluttered with clashing colors, amorphous paper shapes, scribbles of ink and bleary brushstrokes; the characters' features are indistinct and sometimes ugly. Despite its gleeful disruption of the boy-meets-girl formula, this alterna-tale is not the fairest of them all. For a visually appealing and more nuanced treatment of diversity in general, Kitty Crowther's recent Jack and Jim is a better choice.”

School Library Journal review: “Originally published in the Netherlands, this is a commendable fledgling effort with good intentions toward its subject matter. Unfortunately, though, the book is hobbled by thin characterization and ugly artwork; the homosexual prince comes across as fragile and languid, while the dour, matronly queen is a dead ringer for England's Victoria at her aesthetic worst. Some of the details in the artwork are interesting, including the "crown kitty" performing antics in the periphery. However, that isn't enough to compensate for page after page of cluttered, disjointed, ill-conceived art. The book does present same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within an immediately recognizable narrative form, the fairy tale. However, those looking for picture books about alternative lifestyles may want to keep looking for a barrier-breaking classic on the subject.”

Connections

Other books about gay and lesbian families include:

Parnell, Peter. 2005. AND TANGO MAKES THREE. ISBN 0689878451

Willhoite, Michael. 1994. DADDY’S ROOMATE. ISBN 1555831184