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King & King & Family
Join newlyweds King Lee and King Bertie on their journey into the noisy jungle. The kings are greeted by wild animal families, but the royal travelers suspect that something more significant awaits them in the trees. King & King soon discover that there'¬?s no adventure more wonderful than starting a family of their own. Jubilant sequel to Lambda Literary Award nominee KING & KING. Subtle clues on each page lead readers to a surprise ending. In a starred review, Kirkus called KING & KING "A joyful celebration that . . . firmly challenges the assumptions established and perpetuated by the entire canon of children'¬?s picture books." An adoption story for everyone.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
April 30, 2012
I really wanted to like this. I liked the cover. But just about everything else.... no.
I realize that this is a follow up to King & King, but it started too abruptly. The art was frenetic feeling (I like zines generally, but this took the zine aesthetic and just really overwhelmed me with it). And I didn't like that in the end "a little girl from the jungle" has followed them home. It's just SOOO problematic. The two kings are white (as are their extended family), and the little girl is drawn as some shade of darker brown.
International & trans-racial adoption is generally a traumatic situation all around, and has a really terrible history including children snatched off the streets in order to be "adopted" by ignorant white tourists/adoptive parents to horrifying cases including economic coercion used to make parents just about *sell* their children to an adoption agency. Not to mention the cultural aspect for the child of then being raised in a white supremacist culture by two individuals who have no experience with being the object of racism.
So adding all of that to a little brown girl stowing away in the suitcase of two white kings who are *thrilled* to have her as their daughter is just... wrong.
I realize that this is a follow up to King & King, but it started too abruptly. The art was frenetic feeling (I like zines generally, but this took the zine aesthetic and just really overwhelmed me with it). And I didn't like that in the end "a little girl from the jungle" has followed them home. It's just SOOO problematic. The two kings are white (as are their extended family), and the little girl is drawn as some shade of darker brown.
International & trans-racial adoption is generally a traumatic situation all around, and has a really terrible history including children snatched off the streets in order to be "adopted" by ignorant white tourists/adoptive parents to horrifying cases including economic coercion used to make parents just about *sell* their children to an adoption agency. Not to mention the cultural aspect for the child of then being raised in a white supremacist culture by two individuals who have no experience with being the object of racism.
So adding all of that to a little brown girl stowing away in the suitcase of two white kings who are *thrilled* to have her as their daughter is just... wrong.
July 5, 2018
Šťastné pokračování knihy Princ & princ.
April 30, 2023
This book ends with the two kings adopting a little poc girl that they - unknowingly, to be fair - kidnapped from a jungle where they spent their honeymoon. I wish I was kidding... this is NOT, I repeat, this is NOT the queer rep we need! I mean, it would be fine if they were framed as grey characters (or villains) but that isn't the case here!
I feel like there is no need for me to comment on the rest of the book, because this is very much a deal breaker for me...
I feel like there is no need for me to comment on the rest of the book, because this is very much a deal breaker for me...
March 7, 2015
Pretty mediocre. I like the idea, but found the execution lacking. I enjoyed seeing the personalities of both King Lee and King Bertie (and their wardrobes were fabulous!) but the story seemed to move too quickly (or too shallowly?) and the pages were visually overstimulating (at least for me). And while I really like the representations of a family adopting an older child and of an adoptive relationship across races, I felt uncomfortable with the idea of a jungle waif sneaking home in your suitcase and then you adopting her. The reader is left with no idea why the child chose the Kings (and chose to travel by suitcase), nor the context of her birth family. (Who took care of her before the Kings?) The book is obviously joy filled and includes some really cool collage work, but missed the mark for me.
June 7, 2018
Disappointing follow-up to King & King, which I loved. The plot in this one is thin and somewhat questionable/colonialist. King Lee and King Bertie travel to a wild jungle for their honeymoon and discuss their desire for a family. Upon arrival home, they discover a native girl has hidden in their suitcase and they all live happily ever after?
Additionally, while I loved the collage illustrations in the previous book, the art in the sequels just feels crowded and chaotic.
Additionally, while I loved the collage illustrations in the previous book, the art in the sequels just feels crowded and chaotic.
May 10, 2012
Review from interlibrary loan copy.
Okay, it's a little creepy that a girl stows away in their suitcase and then they adopt her - seems a little more like kidnapping, even though they didn't know she was hidden. I realize that it's a way to talk about adoption by a gay couple, but this was just a weird context.
Okay, it's a little creepy that a girl stows away in their suitcase and then they adopt her - seems a little more like kidnapping, even though they didn't know she was hidden. I realize that it's a way to talk about adoption by a gay couple, but this was just a weird context.
December 8, 2019
Vizuálně se mi to líbilo o dost víc než první díl, džungle je v tomhle celkem vděčné dějiště. Téma je nenásilně a citlivě zpracované, četly jsme to s pětiletou neteří, kterou to taky bavilo.
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June 24, 2021I was uncomfortable with the idea of two white parents adopting a child of color who popped out of a suitcase from the jungle... The authors weren't American and sometimes racial issues translate differently across nationalities and cultures, but this didn't sit well with me at all. Had the parents been cisgender and heterosexual, slimming down the issues in play, it would have harkened more clearly to 1950s America and some of the tropes common in children's books at that time.
Context: I read a lot of children's books with queer themes, many of which are just wonderful. Please choose something different.
Read instead: "Prince and Knight" by Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis.
Context: I read a lot of children's books with queer themes, many of which are just wonderful. Please choose something different.
Read instead: "Prince and Knight" by Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis.
November 20, 2018
The illustrations are way too much for a kids book. They like to play with texture; using newsprint and scrapbooking designs to create an interesting layout. It worked in their favor in the first book, but the words are smothered in this one. The designs are distracting and crammed on to the pages.
The ending also happens in a flash, just like "King and King", but it feels like there's even less build up in the story
The ending also happens in a flash, just like "King and King", but it feels like there's even less build up in the story
September 2, 2017
This book was very strange. It was sort of hard for me to follow so I do not believe that this book will be good for children. This book however does mention many animals. The book starts with King & King going on their honeymoon and meeting all sorts of animals on their way. After that, the story line is just very confusing. I would not read this to my class.
March 25, 2019
Yeah, no. Two kings get married and go on their honeymoon. That is where the goodness stops. “A little girl from the jungle” follows them home and they keep her. It’s a weird bunch of colonial nonsense with odd illustrations. Blerg.
August 29, 2019
Stejně jako první díl, ani tahle kniha nepřináší nic navíc, kromě "kontroverzního" aktuálního tématu gay adopcí. Krásné, král a král mají černošské děvčátko, svět se nezboří, a dětem, které si pohádku přečtou, to nejspíš bude dost putna. Nic víc, nic míň.
December 21, 2017
A little confusing. It needed a little more to it. It just starts abruptly and takes off too fast.
November 8, 2018
Not as good as the original. I still really like the illustrations, but the text didn't make a lot of sense to me. Supplemental, for sure.
July 4, 2019
Nice and sweet
January 27, 2020
Hahaha, dva kralove jedou na svatebni cestu do divociny a privezou si pekny darecek :-))
December 4, 2020
THESE GAYS STOLE A LITTLE GIRL FROM THE JUNGLE???
October 6, 2021
Amusing, though a bit creepy But a good followup about same-sex couples starting a family for the picture book set.
March 13, 2011
I was excited when the librarian at my local library told me about this book and the one written previous to it, King & King. I really wanted to read the first book which took the idea of a royal prince searching for the perfect mate and flipped around. Instead of finding a princess as a perfect companion, he falls in love with a prince. Alas, the library did not own this one, only its sequel, this book. In this book, the two princes go on a jungle adventure for their honeymoon. On this trip, they see many animal parents and their young and comment on how lovely happy they seem. King Bertie seems to be the more nervous of the two, and is quite sure that someone is following them. When they get back home, their suitcase seems very heavy. It turns out that a girl from the jungle had in fact been following them and followed them all the way back home in their suitcase! The princes are thrilled and decide to adopt the girl making a happy family of three.
Perhaps it was the fact that the book was written by a writer/illustrator duo (they did actually work on the book together) in the Netherlands and has been translated into English, but I thought the book a bit simplistic and the style rather different. The majority of the story took place during the honeymoon jungle adventure. It didn’t explain why the girl from the jungle had followed them in the first place, nor did it explain why she did not already have parents of her own. I did like the colorful whimsy of the mixed media illustrations, though sometimes it was hard to focus on everything in the pictures because they were just so busy.
I am glad that more books are coming out about families with same-sex parents—especially because I have a number of gay friends whose kids could have used books that featured such characters—however I’m not sure if this is the best example of such a book. I would very much like to read the first book, King & King to see if it is a bit more rounded out. If I am going to fight to have a book included in a study on families or to have in the classroom or school library, then I would want it to be a really excellent example, otherwise the point is lost. I do not want to say that it is not a well-written book, as it is hard to know if this is simply a matter of cultural style or the style/product of this particular writer/illustrator pair. All I know is that for me, it was all right, but not the best.
Perhaps it was the fact that the book was written by a writer/illustrator duo (they did actually work on the book together) in the Netherlands and has been translated into English, but I thought the book a bit simplistic and the style rather different. The majority of the story took place during the honeymoon jungle adventure. It didn’t explain why the girl from the jungle had followed them in the first place, nor did it explain why she did not already have parents of her own. I did like the colorful whimsy of the mixed media illustrations, though sometimes it was hard to focus on everything in the pictures because they were just so busy.
I am glad that more books are coming out about families with same-sex parents—especially because I have a number of gay friends whose kids could have used books that featured such characters—however I’m not sure if this is the best example of such a book. I would very much like to read the first book, King & King to see if it is a bit more rounded out. If I am going to fight to have a book included in a study on families or to have in the classroom or school library, then I would want it to be a really excellent example, otherwise the point is lost. I do not want to say that it is not a well-written book, as it is hard to know if this is simply a matter of cultural style or the style/product of this particular writer/illustrator pair. All I know is that for me, it was all right, but not the best.
June 12, 2020
King & King & Family is a children's picture book written by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland and illustrated by Linda de Haan. The premise of the book is the newly newlywed Kings takes a vacation to a noisy jungle and ended up bringing home something, or rather, someone unexpected – a girl, which they promptly adopt. This book is a sequel to
King & King
.
Haan's text is simplistic and easy to understand and flows rather well. Her art, however, is much to be desired – I had the same problem with her art as I did with her first book. It was over stimulating and competed with the text instead of complimenting it.
The story itself is fairly straightforward – while on vacation to the jungle, the Kings realize that there's no greater adventure than starting a family and pondered how to do this. When they arrive home, they discovered that a young girl stowaway in one of their suitcases, which they promptly love and adopt.
While I love the premise, it is the execution that was lacking. I wish that there were more backstory to the girl: how she ended up in the jungle, why she chose the kings to stowaway with, and so on. I had the same problem with this book as its predecessor, instead of instalove it's instafamily.
All in all, I really enjoyed King & King & Family, despite its many flaws that are not too easily overlooked. It is a somewhat good sequel to the original book and a quaint story about family and adoption.
Haan's text is simplistic and easy to understand and flows rather well. Her art, however, is much to be desired – I had the same problem with her art as I did with her first book. It was over stimulating and competed with the text instead of complimenting it.
The story itself is fairly straightforward – while on vacation to the jungle, the Kings realize that there's no greater adventure than starting a family and pondered how to do this. When they arrive home, they discovered that a young girl stowaway in one of their suitcases, which they promptly love and adopt.
While I love the premise, it is the execution that was lacking. I wish that there were more backstory to the girl: how she ended up in the jungle, why she chose the kings to stowaway with, and so on. I had the same problem with this book as its predecessor, instead of instalove it's instafamily.
All in all, I really enjoyed King & King & Family, despite its many flaws that are not too easily overlooked. It is a somewhat good sequel to the original book and a quaint story about family and adoption.
October 31, 2012
Book two in the King & King story starts out with the two happily married kings setting off for adventure. They explore the jungle and when they come home they brought home more than they took there. In the end they adopt the little stow-away and become a very happy non-traditional family.
In this book the words make noise. Many of the words are warped and enlarged to show emphasis. "All at once the suitcase b u r s t open." I would use this book to teach word movement to my students. Another quality of this book was the foreshadowing that took place. There were many families in the jungle and near the end one king said, "I wish I had a little one of our own." The children can interact with the story and wonder what will happen next.
The author/illustrator pair Linda Haan and Stern Nijland has kept their artistic power flowing into this second book. The beautifully constructed words and pictures flow throughout the book. My only complaint is that they adopt the little girl at the end of the story. I feel the title being King & King & Family, the book should have focused on that and not the trip through the jungle. They do see many animal families in the jungle, but that was not what I was expecting from this book.
In this book the words make noise. Many of the words are warped and enlarged to show emphasis. "All at once the suitcase b u r s t open." I would use this book to teach word movement to my students. Another quality of this book was the foreshadowing that took place. There were many families in the jungle and near the end one king said, "I wish I had a little one of our own." The children can interact with the story and wonder what will happen next.
The author/illustrator pair Linda Haan and Stern Nijland has kept their artistic power flowing into this second book. The beautifully constructed words and pictures flow throughout the book. My only complaint is that they adopt the little girl at the end of the story. I feel the title being King & King & Family, the book should have focused on that and not the trip through the jungle. They do see many animal families in the jungle, but that was not what I was expecting from this book.
February 12, 2012
This is a continuation of the book King and King by the same author.
The illustrations are wonderful, and the story is great, but with an odd little quirk that took off the one star.
The book starts with the two new crowned kings going on their honeymoon. Along the way they see lots of wild animal families - parents with babies. At one point, they notice they are being followed. When they get home, a girl from the jungle pops out of their bag and they adopt the stowaway as their daughter.
The fact that a child stowed away in a piece of luggage is an odd quirk. The fact that they adopt said child with no inquiry as to her family or where she came from is just a little bizarre. But it's a story - those issues can be discussed with children as necessary. The main point is to present a story where a family can mean two same-gendered parents and a child, and that point is made. Still, it could have been better. I would have preferred if the Kings had come home and then discovered that there was a child in the town who needed to be adopted (parents died? something?). But still a book I'd read to my kids. PGSE award given (http://kvsdesigns.com/blog/book-awards/).
The illustrations are wonderful, and the story is great, but with an odd little quirk that took off the one star.
The book starts with the two new crowned kings going on their honeymoon. Along the way they see lots of wild animal families - parents with babies. At one point, they notice they are being followed. When they get home, a girl from the jungle pops out of their bag and they adopt the stowaway as their daughter.
The fact that a child stowed away in a piece of luggage is an odd quirk. The fact that they adopt said child with no inquiry as to her family or where she came from is just a little bizarre. But it's a story - those issues can be discussed with children as necessary. The main point is to present a story where a family can mean two same-gendered parents and a child, and that point is made. Still, it could have been better. I would have preferred if the Kings had come home and then discovered that there was a child in the town who needed to be adopted (parents died? something?). But still a book I'd read to my kids. PGSE award given (http://kvsdesigns.com/blog/book-awards/).
January 18, 2012
King & King & Family by Linda de Haan is the sequel to King & King. Whilst on their honeymoon, the two kings wonder if they should have a family.
The artwork is the same over the top style as the first book. As it takes place in a jungle, for the most part, the colors are more saturated, making the whole effect more extreme. While I found the second book's artwork an improvement, I'm still not completely sold on it.
As oft-happens with couples, families sometimes just happen. The solution here, while presented in a cute and simplistic fashion is problematic. Upon opening their unusually heavy luggage at home, they find that a young girl from the jungle has followed them home and that's how the book ends.
I realize it's a children's book. I realize the basic moral of the story is that even same sex couples might want children. But there's not adequate follow through.
The artwork is the same over the top style as the first book. As it takes place in a jungle, for the most part, the colors are more saturated, making the whole effect more extreme. While I found the second book's artwork an improvement, I'm still not completely sold on it.
As oft-happens with couples, families sometimes just happen. The solution here, while presented in a cute and simplistic fashion is problematic. Upon opening their unusually heavy luggage at home, they find that a young girl from the jungle has followed them home and that's how the book ends.
I realize it's a children's book. I realize the basic moral of the story is that even same sex couples might want children. But there's not adequate follow through.
September 13, 2016
Pages: 32
Age range: pre K -8
Genre: Picture / Fairy Tale
Race/Culture/Ethnic Group: Gay/Lesbian
Summary: Prince Lee and Prince Bertie (from “King and King”) take a honeymoon trip to the jungle and come home with more than the bargained for, but exactly what they hoped for.
Evaluation: As with “King and King” I enjoyed both the collage/found object style illustrations and the fun text styles. I was pleased that the queen wasn’t as scary/witchy looking as in the original book. The story was nice with a happy ending as Lee and Bertie were able to have their own family through adopting. I thought the story on a whole wasn’t quite as good as “King and King,” but I would definitely add this to a library collection. These two books are about as mild and least likely to be offensive as possible while still showing a gay couple.
Age range: pre K -8
Genre: Picture / Fairy Tale
Race/Culture/Ethnic Group: Gay/Lesbian
Summary: Prince Lee and Prince Bertie (from “King and King”) take a honeymoon trip to the jungle and come home with more than the bargained for, but exactly what they hoped for.
Evaluation: As with “King and King” I enjoyed both the collage/found object style illustrations and the fun text styles. I was pleased that the queen wasn’t as scary/witchy looking as in the original book. The story was nice with a happy ending as Lee and Bertie were able to have their own family through adopting. I thought the story on a whole wasn’t quite as good as “King and King,” but I would definitely add this to a library collection. These two books are about as mild and least likely to be offensive as possible while still showing a gay couple.
October 26, 2013
After King and King had their wedding, they went to a far-away jungle for their honeymoon trip, and of course, their best friend, the Crown Kitty, was with them. Three of them saw lot of jungle animals and their families, paddled in the river, and experienced camping in the field. Satisfied, they went home with a heavy suitcase. As they were unpacking, a surprise popped out from their suitcase -- a girl from the jungle. Though surprised, King and King were very happy to see the girl, for they always wanted a child of their own. So, they decided to adopt the girl and form a happy family. This is a follow-up story of "King & King," and the illustration style is also consistent with "King & King." Another book adds to the collection of same-sex families and diversity.
March 16, 2015
I did not like this book as much as the first one "King and King". I had a hard time with the premise behind the story, they go into the jungle for their honeymoon or whatever and end up adopting a child? Parts of the book were cute, but it was just messed up the way that they chose to take the baby home. Apparently the child is like a stowaway that they don't notice until they get back home but it's still a bit creepy that they do not try to contact the child's parents or take her back or anything. Plus if they were flying there's no way the child would have made it through TSA. Like I said though I loved the first book, "King and King" so the sequel was a bit of a let down. I love the way that the illustrations are done, that did not change from the first book.
July 22, 2016
I really liked King & King and thought the premise and execution were great, but am not happy with this follow-up which seems to portray that you can just visit the jungle on a honeymoon and return with a happy child to love. There are many problems here, including many challenges related to foreign adoption that this flies in the face of. Additionally, it is no easy path to adoption for families, for children or adults, and the idea of this book does not address this. Surely it was not meant to, but the story sends the wrong message and therefore helps to perpetuate a different stereotype of foreign adoptees and bad adoption practices. Unfortunate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2019
Two kings find happiness through travel, meeting different animals, and eventually having someone that they can call their own. This is a role reversal book that focuses on two male kings travelling the world together to find their family. Although the illustrations are bright and unique, one may be easily confused and the organization isn't the easiest to follow. The story has an abrupt ending that makes the reader wanting more. I did enjoy the aspect of seeing two dads eventually having their own kid after seeing the different animals and their family. This can be a universal book, but can carry some controversy.
October 18, 2009
The sequel to King and King was just as sweet and beautifully illustrated as its predecessor. King Lee and King Bertie head to the jungle for their honeymoon. What's great is you really get to see the personality of each of the kings.
As the two kings return home from their honeymoon, they find a surprise in their suitcase, a little girl who has been watching them the whole time. The promptly get to work on officially adopting her and start a family of their own, with their own little Princess, Daisy. Aww!
As the two kings return home from their honeymoon, they find a surprise in their suitcase, a little girl who has been watching them the whole time. The promptly get to work on officially adopting her and start a family of their own, with their own little Princess, Daisy. Aww!
October 15, 2008
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: Kings. Families with two dads. Adoption. Homosexuality.
Curricular Use: Read-aloud.
Social: Two Kings on their honeymoon.
Literary Elements: Page spread with entries from a journal.
Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures. Pictures elaborate and vibrant. Mixed media illustrations.
Additional Notes: Plot line thin and focused more on King and King's adventure, not their family.
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: Kings. Families with two dads. Adoption. Homosexuality.
Curricular Use: Read-aloud.
Social: Two Kings on their honeymoon.
Literary Elements: Page spread with entries from a journal.
Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures. Pictures elaborate and vibrant. Mixed media illustrations.
Additional Notes: Plot line thin and focused more on King and King's adventure, not their family.
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