KING & KING

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
De Haan, Linda and Stern Nijland. 2002. KING & KING. Ill. by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press. ISBN 1582460612

B. PLOT SUMMARY
The queen has decided it is time for the prince to marry. Many princesses are presented for the prince to choose but none of them interest him. Then the search for a bride takes an unexpected turn.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The authors use a familiar fairy tale to introduce young people to the idea that love exists in many forms. Without forceful text de Haan and Nijland are able to convey their story of a same-sex couple in a matter of fact way. The text is short, simple, and direct. Different size fonts are used to emphasize parts of the text. As with traditional fairy tales this story has a happy ending.

The full color illustrations in this book are vivid colorful collages done with textured paper, fabric, and paint. Careful examination of the illustrations will show that people come in many different shapes and sizes; an extension of the text. However, while the art does present a plethora of color, shape, and texture it is busy and distracting. The illustrations contain too much activity for a young audience to grasp. Focusing on the illustrations distracts from the text. There is an exception to the illustrations in this book. The last page shows the king and king on a blank white page kissing with a heart covering their lips. Does this not “illustrate” the text without any distractions?

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (July 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 21))
PreS-Gr. 2. Here's a winning Dutch import for parents looking for a original tale with a gay slant. The queen, tired of ruling, decides it's time for her son to marry and assume the throne. The prince reluctantly agrees, "I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses."The queen arranges for a parade of princesses to meet her son, but the prince doesn't feel any sparks until the final candidate shows up with her brother. The two princes fall in love, marry, and rule the kingdom together. The text is brief and lighthearted, and it presents the gay relationship with matter-of-fact ease. But it's the illustrations that really shine. Whimsical, textured collages mix beautiful papers, fabrics, and bright paint in scenes that show the bossy queen, the wildly imagined town, the eclectic princesses, the wedding, and finally, a kiss between the two starry-eyed princes. Adults will know what's coming early in the story, but many kids won't. They'll simply like the fun artwork and the final twist on conventions. For another picture book with a gay theme, see Michael Cart's Focus on Harvey Fierstein's The Sissy Duckling [BKL Je 1 & 15 02].

Horn Book starred (Fall, 2002)
In this mischievous twist on a familiar motif, a bachelor prince finds something lacking with each princess his mother draws to his attention until the last candidate brings along her cute brother. Silly but affectionate collage illustrations match the text for whimsical irreverence. Missing the political point, the young audience will probably come to the conclusion that this prince likes boys better than girls, which, of course, he does.

Publishers Weekly (February 25, 2002)
When a grouchy queen tells her layabout son that it's time for him to marry, he sighs, "Very well, Mother.... I must say, though, I've never cared much for princesses." His young page winks. Several unsatisfactory bachelorettes visit the castle before "Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee" appear in the doorway. The hero is smitten at once. "What a wonderful prince!" he and Prince Lee both exclaim, as a shower of tiny Valentine hearts flutters between them. First-time co-authors and artists de Hann and Nijland matter-of-factly conclude with the royal wedding of "King and King," the page boy's blushing romance with the leftover princess and the assurance that "everyone lives happily ever after." 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. Ages 6-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

E. CONNECTIONS
Young readers or listeners could draw a picture of their favorite part of the book.

Another book by de Haan and Nijland:
KING & KING & FAMILY. ISBN 1582461139