Published: 1st March 2003
Publisher: Tricycle Press
Illustrator: Stern Nijland
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars
Once there lived a lovelorn prince whose mother decreed that he must marry by the end of the summer. So began the search to find the prince’s perfect match and lo and behold……his name was Lee. You are cordially invited to join the merriest, most unexpected wedding of the year. KING & KING is a contemporary tale about finding true love and living happily ever after, sure to woo readers of any age.
The story is simple and to the point. I enjoyed how de Haan didn’t need to explain further about why the prince didn’t want a princess, he just didn’t. This was also something the queen accepted, she just needed the prince married so she count retire as planned. The prince meets with a variety of princesses from around the world which he has no interest in until one princess brings along her brother.
The illustrations aren’t the most pleasing to look at but they do the job. They are creative I will give credit for that and look like they have been compiled from cut out pictures, one page cleverly using what appears to be magazine snippets of a variety of words.
This isn’t a complex book explaining homosexuality to children, there is no long explanation about any of it. What it is though is a story which normalises it and explains that some princes like other princes and as long as he’s happy, everyone is happy.
You can purchase King & King via the following
Amazon | Amazon Aust | Wordery
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