"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."
Ten Speed Press' "King & King" written by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland is the very best picture book i've seen to address gay issue. So many texts who try to bring queer lives into children's books end up falling short of anything appealing to children lacking bright pictures and tell a story that is about gay people and not simply a picture book which has gay characters. Although groundbreaking texts "Heather Has Two Mommies" and "Daddies Roommate" are both very guilty of this. "King & King" presents the story of a prince whose mother wants him to marry but he isn't interested in any of the princesses and then manages to find his "perfect match" in a prince!
This is a fantastic book filled with bright and beautiful ilistrations and an entertaining storyline where the prince's sexual orientation is never an issue, it simply is part of the story! The sequil to the book "King & King & Family" is also a fantastic read, which follows the Kings through their travels and desires to build a family of their own. These are great books for people of all ages, especially kids as it teaches about the diversity of families in an accessable and fun way.
I tend to like banned books, and "King & King" has had it's share of controversies. The book even sparked a 2006 law suite by a parent who felt it was inapropriate for his child's second grade teacher to have read this book in class, as it was "indocternating children into homosexuality." I forgot, teaching kids about different sorts of families, and teaching tolerance is "indocternation." Thankfully, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf ruled that public schools are "entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy."
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