King & King

De Haan, Linda, and Stern Nijland. King & King. Berkley, CA: Tricycle Press, 2000.

King & King tells the story of a Prince being pushed by his impatient mother, the queen, to marry and take over the throne. The prince who admits that he has “never cared much for princesses” reluctantly agrees to meet a host of potential brides. Princesses arrive from all expanses of the globe but it isn’t until he lays eyes upon Princesses Madeline’s brother, Prince Lee, that he find his true heart’s desire.

De Hann and Nijland's twist on the traditional boy meets girl fairytale may be well intentioned but some potential issues arise within the pages of this picture book. The depiction of the princesses presents some subtle stereotyping. The princess from Austria is an overweight opera singer, the princess from Texas is wearing cowboy boots, so on and so forth. All of the potential brides are depicted as flawed in some way or another. This sets up a tension that the Prince only falls for Prince Lee because none of his female-suitors would suffice. Although the books presents a positive depiction of gay marriage as a “happily ever after”, we shouldn’t ignore the potential stereotypes/misconceptions that are perpetuated in the book.

King & King’s unique and colorful collage-style illustrations provide plenty for the reader to look at but become cluttered and overwhelming at times. In addition to the stereotyping of the princesses, the illustrations make other interesting statements, like the choice to censor of the two Kings’ kiss on the last page of the book.