Culture 6 - King and King and Family

A. Bibliography
de Haan, Linda and Stern Nijland. 2004. King and King and Family. Berkeley, California: Tricycle Press. ISBN: 1582461139.

B. Plot Summary
King Lee and King Bertie are off on their jungle honeymoon. Carrying a suitcase and a backpack they soon discover they have a stowaway, traveling companion, their cat Crown Kitty. The three of them set off to see all the jungle animals. They were greeted by all the jungle animals and their babies. King Lee and King Bertie remarked on what great parents the animals were. They crossed bridges, swung on vines, and floated down the river. While they were floating down the river they had an odd feeling they were being followed. King Bertie conveyed his concerns about being followed in his travel journal. He states, "Day two - We reached the fork in the river today. There was something following us in the water last night. The Crown Kitty was shaking in her hiking boots!" The night before they returned home both kings were reminiscing on how wonderful the trip has been. King Bertie also remarked about the animals and their babies and expressed how nice it would be to have a "little one of our own." When they returned their friends had a party for their homecoming. During the party a young girl from the jungle popped out of their suitcase. King Bertie and King Lee exclaimed,"You're the child we've always wanted." The story ends as King and King fill out adoption papers and have a party for their new Princess Daisy.

C. Cultural Analysis
King and King and Family is the sequel to King and King. This book has many cultural markers that contribute to the authenticity of the story and the celebration of family diversity. The setting of the story takes place in the jungle and the colorful plants and animals compliment the curious and fun-loving atmosphere. It is a whimsical story and the setting contemporary setting is consistent with the plot.

The themes, values and illustrations developed in this book are also consistent with the family dynamics of this story. King and King have recently been married and they are on their honeymoon to the jungle. While in the jungle the remark on how good of parents the jungle animals are: "Such good parents!" said King Lee. The illustrations of the jungle parents taking care of their young are consistent with the text in the story. King and King also express their desire to have family of their own. Both the text and illustrations compliment each other by expressing this need for a family.

This book honors and celebrates diversity as well as the common bonds in humanity. Throughout the story King and King are represented both in text and illustrations as a happy couple with a strong relationship . This is especially shown when they are reflecting on their enjoyable trip the night before they depart from home. The text states, "It's been a wonderful trip," King Lee said. "I can't wait to tell everyone about everything we've seen." "All those animals with their babies," King Bertie sighed. "I wish we has a little one of our own." This desire to have a family honors the common bonds of humanity as well as celebrating the diversity of families.


This book also includes members of a minority group for a purpose. The theme of this books celebrates the the diversity of families. King and King are two people who share their life together and want to have a family to share the happiness they have with their child. This family theme was carried out and demonstrated throughout the text, with the use of the jungle animals and their babies, even the use of Crown Kitty showing up on their trip contributes to this family them because the three of them saw the jungle together.


The illustrations were rendered in mix media. Collage, paint, drawing, writing, bright and bold colors were all thing used in the illustrations to compliment the setting of the whimsical tone of the jungle. The illustrations also complemented the text description. For example on one page the text was talking about how all the animals and their babies came out to greet them. On the next page the text states, "The mosquitoes had also turned out to meet them." The illustration shows the two kings and Crown Kitty swatting mosquitoes in a dancing motion while spraying mosquito repellent into the air. As the mosquito repellent is being sprayed, the spray is represented in colorful stars of all different shapes.


Finally, King and King and Family has an appealing format and can be seen as enduring to readers. Although, the book does address the issue of sexual preference, the story invites the reader along on their journey and shows readers that families can come in many different shapes and sizes. Children who live in similar can identify with this books and feel comfortable that there are other children who have similar experiences.

D. Review Excerpts
School Library Journal: In this follow-up to King and King (Tricycle, 2002), King Lee and King Bertie have just married and embarked on a honeymoon. As they fly off to the 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 form 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."

Publishers Weekly: "By offering this enduring portrait of a diverse group, the authors promote the important message that love flourishes in traditional and nontraditional families alike."

E. Connections
To read more about nontraditional families, please read the following books:

de Haan, Linda and Stern Nijland. King and King. ISBN 1582460612.

Richardson, Justin. And Tango Makes Three. ISBN 0689878451.

Valentine, Johnny. One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads. ISBN 1555838480.

Parr, Todd. The Family Book. ISBN0316738964.

Newman, Leslie. Heather has Two Mommies. ISBN 1555835430.