King & King

About.com Rating 4 Star Rating

User Rating 3 Star Rating (2 Reviews) Write a review

By Kathy Belge, About.com Guide

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by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, Tricycle Press, 2002.

Tricycle Press, 2002

The Bottom Line

King & King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland breaks into a new category for children's picture books. It is a refreshing break from the typical children's story.

Pros

A Fairy Tale for alternative families
Beautiful Artwork that will capture your child's imagination
Not Just for children!

Cons

none

Description

King & King
by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland
Hard cover picture book, $14.95
ISBN 1-58246-061-2
Lambda Literary Award Winner and
Honorable mention in the “Most Unusual Book of the Year” category for Publishers Weekly’s 2002 .
Copyright 2000

Guide Review - King & King

Fairy Tales are full of blatant sexism and heterosexism. How many times do we have to read about a princess finding prince charming and living life happily-ever-after? How refreshing that we’re finally seeing some books that stray from that formula. King & King is one such story.

One day the queen decides she is tired of ruling. She decides her son shall marry before the end of summer and take over the kingdom. The queen calls princesses from near and far to meet her son. He is not impressed by any of them, but someone does catch his eye.

This colorful children’s book takes on a surprising twist, when the prince falls for another prince. The art is bold and bright, a mix of collage and watercolor, sure to capture a child’s imagination. Same-sex headed families will delight in a storybook that speaks to their families.

King & King is also a good book for any family that wishes to show their children the diversity of human experience. The same-sex attraction is normalized. There’s no proselytizing, no big lesson. It just is.

Overall, King & King is a great book for children from any type of family.

User Reviews

5 out of 5

Brilliant, Member MrsCooke

This is a fantastic book for children especially having read some of the outrageously homophobic reviews on here by grown adults who must have contact with young children to be interested in childrens books in the first place. Im not going to quote a book written two thousand years ago like some and I did not immediately dismiss this book because the prince marries a prince. As a married woman (to my lovely HUSBAND of 15 years) I hope my children &future grandchildren grow up in a world where love is a positive experience no matter what the gender. I just hope that the people who have dismissed this book because the couple are gay are not teaching their children to hate fellow human beings &to encourage violence or bulllying against such behaviour. Surely there are more important things to teach? Compassion? Respect? Love thy neighbour?

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