BIBLIOGRAPHY
De Haan, Linda and Stern Nijland. 2000. KING & KING. Illus. by authors. Tricycle Press: Berkeley, CA. ISBN: 1-58246-061-2.
PLOT SUMMARY
The queen orders her son, the prince, to find a suitable princess and marry. The prince and his mother search and analyze the princesses that step forward. However, none of them seem acceptable. All seems lost until the final princess and her brother appear. The prince falls in love with the other prince and the two marry and live happily ever after.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
KING & KING is a story that puts a twist on traditional fairy tales. The story of princess meets prince, falls in love, and lives happily ever after is paralleled in this story. The only twist is that the prince meets a prince and lives happily ever after.
The plot of the story is simple and will be familiar to readers. The plot progresses along to the climax which is when the young prince meets his true love and agrees to get married. The tale ends with the standard fairy tale line “and everyone lives happily ever after”.
The characterization in the story is limited and is seen mostly in the illustrations. The queen is a strong willed woman who has decided that she is done ruling the kingdom. She is ready for her son to wed and take over. The third page of the story shows the queen making a demanding the prince take her decision seriously. “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!” she bellows. Her face is cross, domineering, and contorted. The illustration consists of isolated words that the queen is saying. These words are the most important for the prince and the reader. “Romance”, “love”, “happy”, “to care for”, “dream wedding” is uttered as well as “I do it for you”. Readers realize that the queen is overbearing but loves her son. The prince is disinterested in getting married. He finally relents after his mother’s constant barrage of chatter.
The illustrations that accompany the story are phenomenal. They are vibrant, colorful, and inventive. Lines and images are a combination of smooth edges and jagged blobs of color. The pictures are detailed but not full of realistic detail. People look like cartoon characters; many other items are not proportional. However, this lack of realism and uniformity supports the fairy tale structure of the book. The illustrations increase the appeal of the book. Some of the illustrations have depth and dimensionality that cause them to appear to have texture on the page. Readers who are simply flipping through will be enveloped by the pictures.
The readers are introduced to the parade of princesses the prince and the queen endure through the illustrations. The prince and queen are unimpressed with the herd of potential mates. Each princess is not what they expected. They are not beautiful or stately. Each one has her own odd feature such as extreme height or weight. The final princess is pretty, and the readers could infer that she is the prince’s chosen mate until they turn the page. The two princes have a collection of colorful hearts between them as they fall in love and live happily ever after.
The theme of this story is acceptance and maturation. Initially the prince does not tell his mother he would rather find a prince. He simply tells her that he “never cared much for princesses.” Perhaps if he had been ready and told his mother of his preference, they could have avoided the princess parade. However, despite this omission does not hinder his “happily ever after” ending. The queen is accepting of her son’s choice and even “sheds a tear” at his wedding.
The entire story reads like a typical, traditional, Disneyesque fairy tale. There is only one difference. The prince falls in love with another prince and lives happily ever after. Even in this day and age, this is a controversial topic. Gay marriage has recently been legalized in a few locations and is a polarizing topic. The author of this book takes great care to present an ordinary love story. There is nothing unusual about this pair. This encourages the reader to view the couple as that, a normal loving couple and not some type of spectacle. The queen’s reaction to her son’s choice of spouse is accepting. She does not get upset or disown him. She simply wishes him well in his choice of mate. The prince made his selection, and she respects his selection.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
From BOOKLIST: “Here's a winning Dutch import for parents looking for a original tale with a gay slant…Adults will know what's coming early in the story, but many kids won't. They'll simply like the fun artwork and the final twist on conventions.”
From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The book does present same-sex marriage as a viable, acceptable way of life within an immediately recognizable narrative form, the fairy tale.”
From KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Move over, Princess Smartypants: this Dutch import arrives to take top honors in the fairytale-fracturing department… Hurrah to newcomers de Haan and Nijland and to the publisher for bringing them to an American audience.”
CONNECTIONS
KING AND KING is considered a fractured fairy tale. This means that it takes a traditional fairy tale and gives it a twist. Students should read other fractured fairy tales and then write their own.
Jon Scieszka Fractured Fairytales and Fables
Fractured Fairy Tales
List of possible reading choices:
Fractured Fairy Tales - Booklists
Using the following fractured fairy tale lesson plans, allow students to select an activity and complete the selected assignment.
ReadWriteThink: Student Materials: Fractured Fairy Tales
Fractured Fairy Tales
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