The Duke Who Outlawed Jelly Beans

by Johnny Valentine, Lynette Schmidt (Illustrator)

A collection of five stories about kings, queens, and princes, dragons, ogres, and wizards

Genres: LGBT, Childrens, Short Stories, Picture Books, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Kelly Holmes]

An illustrated collection of five fairy tales centered around children with non-traditional families. Pretty good.

[Joe]

Engaging fairy-tales that expose young readers to non-traditional families. Great way to open conversations about family diversity with kids.

[Ally]

TEXT SET

This is a series of fairytales that depict diverse families through fun and engaging stories. For example, in one story the Frog Prince leaves his mean parents to live with his rescuer, Nicholas. In another, a duke states that all families must have one mother and one father, to which the children in the land mock the silly law and get it taken away. Fairytales is a great way to each children about acceptance and same-sex parents. It’s taught in a fun and whimsical manner while delivering a clear message.

[Bella]

I liked the fairy tales in this book much better than the other Johnny Valentine book. There were more of them, they had a lot of different themes, and they were very clever. You can read the whole thing, or you can pick and choose. Plus the stories are unique and creative, the plots move, and the characters feel just fleshed out enough for a short story. It’s like this was where Johnny Valentine put all his best stories, and then the publisher wanted another book, and the stories in his follow-up book just weren’t as good.

[Marika]

I really enjoyed this book. Featuring beautiful illustrations that sweep across the page sharing the spread with the text, these stories each follow the path of traditional fairy tales. Some draw directly from the tales I grew up with, others are unfamiliar. They are well written and enjoyable. The illustrations are delightful and intricate enough that a long time can be sent exploring the little details.

[Betsy]

Felt too much like a "book-with-a-message" to me. Some good text/illustrations, but kept slipping back down into cliche.

[Tina]

Gotta admit I got a bit bored with this but I just LOVE the title and the last story :)

[Michelle]

Hi