King and King written and illustrated by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland Published in 2002
This book was originally written in Dutch and has since been published in over eight languages. The story follows a young Prince whose mother is trying to find him a princess to marry. He claims that he does not care for princesses much, but goes along with the process anyways. After meeting many princesses, the prince soon meets one of their brothers who he says is perfect for him and "At last, the prince felt a stir in his heart . . . It was love at first sight." The two get married and live happily ever after.
This story definitely goes against the normal fairy tale motif, where the prince must marry a princess. The main character of the book would therefore be outside of mainstream culture, because at the end of the book is it shown that the prince is homosexual and has found another prince. First and foremost, I think that this book is not about his homosexuality, but more about being able to love who you want, and not who you are supposed to. The prince is supposed to marry a princess! and every child will tell you that. But here is a new message: love who you want. I love that this is a different fairy tale and it shows children that there can still be a happily ever after when the situation does not go as they expect it to.
Although this story is primarily about a gay prince, there are no gay stereotypes in the text nor in the illustrations. The prince is a prince, and goes about meeting all of the princesses in say way. In the illustrations, he is not dressed in overly flamboyant attire like, but rather what any other prince might wear. The illustrations themselves are just as diverse as the story; there is a collage of materials used throughout the book, and every page is different. I think that the authors did a great job of not making this story inappropriate but also got their message across. In particular, the last page of the book shows the two newly wedded kings kissing each other. I feel that the authors took the safe route with this image, yet it is still powerful and their message of love is clear.
Another important aspect of this book is that it portrays a diverse array of characters. When the prince begins meeting all of the princesses, they come from all over the world. The different races are not portrayed in negative or derogatory way, but rather honest and real. The variety of differences shows that not all princesses must be tall, blonde and skinny- they all are different like we really are. I think that this is another important sub-message that the book delivers for young children. This book goes against many children's preconceived notions about how a princess must look and act.
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| Princess Dolly from Texas |
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| Princess Rahjmashputin from Mumbai |
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| Princess Aria from Austria |
Of course, there is much controversy surrounding this book because of the homosexual message. Many schools have tried to ban the book from being present in the classroom, and just from experience it was very hard to find! In some states, there were petitions to shelve this book in the adult sections of the library to that children could not access it. (Wachsberger, Ken (2006).pp. 198–201; 314; 321.) Many of these petitions never made and progress, but the book continues to stir controversy regardless. The main reason for this is that social conservatives fear that children will become confused by the gay marriage as well as interfere with the beliefs that parents may be trying to teach their children. One site that I found from the opposition point of view analyzes this book strictly from a conservative stand point, and is very interesting (or frustrating, rather) to read. On the other hand, this book has also helped make many gains in the LGBT community as a teaching tool for instilling acceptance at a young age. (Publishers Weekly. February 25, 2002.)
I personally would love to read this book to young children, and welcome their questions in order to prevent their confusion. As a teaching tool, this book could expose children to a different way of living that could help them understand differences in their future. This book can help them learn about the many different types of families that there are and can be also be coupled with a number of different themes.
Works Cited
- Bliss, Kellie. (2014). Evaluating Children's Literature. Retrieved from https://sierra.instructure.com/courses/245205/assignments/2570955
- California Department of Education, Council on Interracial Book for Children. (1998). 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books For Racism and Sexism. Sacrament, CA; Bill Honig.
- Haan, Linda De, and Stern Nijland. (2002) King & King. Berkeley: Tricycle,
