King and King and Family [Hardcover]

Linda De Haan (Author, Illustrator), Stern Nijland (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–In this follow-up to King & King (Tricycle, 2002), King Lee and King Bertie have just married and embark on a honeymoon. As they fly off to jungle country, the two men soon discover that their cat has stowed away in their suitcase. The travelers happily tramp through the wilderness and paddle down a river, observing the wildlife as they go. Before long, they have a strange feeling that something is following them. Upon returning home, they discover another stowaway in their suitcase–this time it's a young girl from the jungle, whom they joyfully adopt and everyone lives happily ever after. The mixed-media collage illustrations are colorful with lots to look at on each page–perhaps too much, as some of the spreads are a bit cluttered. Bertie's travel diary is reproduced on the book's centerfold, hinting at the surprise ending. The text is brief and fun, and the relationships are treated matter-of-factly. However, children may wonder why the men do not try to find the little girl's family, or check to see if anyone is searching for her. All in all, this story about a nontraditional family is a bit heavy-handed.–Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Dutch writer and illustrator team LINDA DE HAAN and STERN NIJLAND live in the Netherlands. Their first book, KING & KING, was translated into four languages. When not writing and illustrating, Linda competes in sand castle–building and Stern plays with her son, Nelson.
LINDA DE HAAN and STERN NIJLAND are a Dutch writer-and-illustrator team. Their first book, King & King, has been translated into four languages. When not writing and illustrating, Linda competes in sand castle–building and Stern plays with her son, Nelson.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582461139
• ISBN-13: 978-1582461137
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #976,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed, January 29, 2011

By 

T. Hope Mcgonigle (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: King and King and Family (Hardcover)

We hate this book and are getting rid of it. We thought it would be great - two dads adopting a kid. What could be better? It actually reads more like 2 dads stealing a child from the jungle. Yuck!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Adventure with Neat Drawings, May 3, 2010

By 

Kimberly Sacha "raisin99" (Sammamish, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King and King and Family (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite children's books. It is a fun adventure tale with very cool drawings.

In response to some criticism that the princess in the story is not acquired properly, I would just say that it is a fairy tale! Not everything has to be real. And they do send in the proper paperwork, so some attempt is made to show you don't just get to keep children you find in the jungle without telling anyone.

Since my children have a very traditional looking family I think it's nice for them to grow up knowing ours isn't the only option. One thing about the drawings (which I do love), though, is they are very complex for very little kids. My son finds them more interesting as he gets older. I recommend this book for gay and straight families alike.

19 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the Best sequel to a beloved book, but still fun., September 6, 2005

By 

Bryan F. Irrera (Vineland, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King and King and Family (Hardcover)

While I would have preferred a more straightforward way for them to find a child (or perhaps for the orphan that the two Kings find to be a baby instead of a child since to me it seemed more like she was a runaway), this is still a worthy addition to this series.

I bought this for my "niece" (our friend's child who refers to my partner and I as "Uncle Paul and Uncle Bryan") for her third birthday, since she's enjoyed the first book for the past year as one of her more frequently requested "night-night" storytime books (along with the Curious George series and "The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish" by Neil Gaiman).

The illustrations are fantastic paintings with lots of colorful images of various animals and their children throughout a tropical environment that the Kings see on their honeymoon.

I would recommend it to any parent with an open mind.