Culture6

Bibliography
De Haan, Linda. 2000. King & King. Berkley, CA: Tricycle Press. ISBN 1582460612.

Plot Summary
This story is written in fairy tale format. It is the story of a prince who is looking for a princess to marry. His mother the queen brings in princesses from all over the land, but the prince is not interested in any of them. He does however find a prince whom he likes very much. He falls in love, they get married, and live happily ever after.

Critical Analysis
The plot of this story is very similar to many fairy tales. A prince goes out looking to find a beautiful princess to marry and live happily ever after with. The only difference with this story is that it has somewhat of a surprise ending. The prince marries another prince, and they become King and King of the land. The pictures could be described as whimsical, but some of them actually look creepy. The characters are all exaggerated, and are not very pleasant looking. I liked the way that the story was written, but the illustrations really put me off. The concept and storyline are well done. The characters are all stereotyped, but that would be typical of a fairytale. The subject matter is presented in a non-threatening and light-hearted way as to not be preachy or insulting.

Review Excerpts

From Publishers Weekly
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.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grades 3-5--In this postmodern fractured fairy tale, a worn-out and badly beleaguered Queen is ready for retirement. After many hours of nagging, the crown prince, who "never cared much for princesses," finally caves in and agrees to wed in order to ascend the throne. Their search for a suitable bride extends far and wide, but none of the eligible princesses strikes the Prince's fancy, until Princess Madeleine shows up. The Prince is immediately smitten- with her brother, Prince Lee. The wedding is "very special," the Queen settles down on a chaise lounge in the sun, and everyone lives happily ever after. 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.Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SCCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Connections
Read the sequel called KING AND KING AND FAMILY
Read other children’s stories like AND TANGO MAKES THREE