King and King by Linda de Haan, Stern Nijland, Linda De Haan

From the Publisher

The Crown Kitty
and Friends
Cordially Invite You
to Celebrate
a Royal Wedding

Reception to follow
in the Royal Gardens

Bring Lots of Presents

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. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Carolyn Mott Ford - Children's Literature

Most picture books deal with the acceptance of differences and diversity in an oblique manner, but this story takes a more direct approach to the subject of homosexuality. A young crown prince is being urged by his mother to marry before the end of summer. She has tired of ruling the country and wishes him to pick out a princess and settle down so she can take life easy. The eligible princesses come to visit, but none are just right. Then Princess Madeleine and her brother, Prince Lee, arrive and the prince falls in love with Prince Lee. They have a festive wedding and, as in most such stories, live happily ever after while the queen relaxes. This story recognizes no differences between homosexual and heterosexual relationships. Many youngsters will accept this in a matter-of-fact way, but others will have questions so parents should be prepared with age-appropriate answers. The colorful, amusing illustrations and the humor of the story will appeal to kids. 2002 (orig. 2000), Tricycle Press/Ten Speed Press,

School Library Journal

Gr 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, SC Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Move over, Princess Smartypants: this Dutch import arrives to take top honors in the fairytale-fracturing department. When the pushy queen of a small, unnamed country decides it's high time for her son, the prince, to settle down and marry a princess so she can retire, he exhibits some reluctance-"I've never cared much for princesses"-but she eventually wears him down. There follows a seemingly endless parade of eligible princesses, but the prince is unmoved until Princess Madeleine shows up with her brother, Prince Lee, and, "It was love at first sight. / ‘What a wonderful prince!' " The prince and Prince Lee are duly wed, "And everyone lives happily ever after." The exuberant mixed-media illustrations have a distinctly European flair, employing vivid colors in bold combinations, and the line-and-color human figures have a childlike, almost primitive look. The prince himself looks rather like Mr. Gumpy with a crown; Prince Lee is a dashing chap with a goatee and an earring. Taken all together, the illustrations work wonderfully with the text to make its statement with no apologies whatsoever. After the wedding (at which the queen sheds a sentimental "tear or two"), the newlyweds gaze at each other over their monumental purple-and-pink cake, which, of course, is topped with two tiny princes. On the final, wordless page, the happy couple smooch, the actual meeting of lips chastely fig-leafed by a bright red heart. Indeed a book whose time has come, this is no pusillanimous bibliotherapy; it is, rather, a joyful celebration that at the same time firmly challenges the assumptions established and perpetuated by the entire canon of children's picture books. Hurrah to newcomers de Haan andNijland and to the publisher for bringing them to an American audience. (Picture book. 5-7)

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