The three books that I read and reviewed, King & King, The Different Dragon, and Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story, were all picture books aimed at young readers. Really, the similarities stop there.
In my opinion, The Different Dragon and Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story are two books heading in the direction that I would like to see LGBTQ children’s literature go. Each told the tale of a loving family headed up by lesbian moms, however, the family structure was incidental to the plot of each story. The books weren’t meant to explain sexual orientations or confusions/concerns about having gay parents. The fact the Emma and Noah each had two moms was just second nature. I see the merits of writing books like Heather Has Two Mommies or Daddy's Roommate, but when it boils right down to it sometimes young readers just want to read about the adventures and antics of other kids. The Different Dragon and Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story did just that. The messages of family diversity were subtle but present and in this case, it worked perfectly.
King & King was a different type of book. It focused more on presenting the traditional prince and princess story in a new light. I appreciated the effort and I certainly think it is important to provide children with the opportunity to read about the diversity of relationships that exists in our world, but King & King’s flat characters showed an oversimplified depiction of the princes’ relationship. Rather than exploring the any sort of complex character features that would draw the prince to fall for Prince Lee, the readers might believe that sub-standard choices in potential princess-brides lead the prince to immediately and unquestionably fall in love at first sight.
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