I picked this up based on the cover alone; thankfully the story and art inside make it well worth it.
Prince & Knight tells the story, in rhyme, of a prince who is going to ascend the throne sometime soon, so his parents decide that it’s about time he gets married. While they’re on their round-the-world tour of eligible princesses, a dragon attacks their kingdom. Wanting to help his people (and get away from the awkwardness of this whole trip), the Prince rides home to confront the dragon himself. Luckily, a mysterious knight comes to help him, both with the dragon and his future marital prospects.
The story of this book is incredibly moving for a children’s picture book. I also appreciate how normal that entire story is; once the Prince’s parents find out he’s gay, that’s it. They instantly accept him, in fact they even slightly give the opinion that maybe he should have just told them from the beginning, saved travel expenses and a lot of awkward dinner conversations with other royal families.
The art is cute as heck; it’s very soft and slightly blockily color-saturated, if that makes any sense. Everyone’s faces are simultaneously simplistically drawn and very expressive. Props to Stevie Lewis for drawing the knight with stubble, something that I don’t think is very big in most children’s picture books. And the fact that this is a very diverse book; the princesses are not all your typical blonde, blue eyed Disney Cinderella clones.
Buy for the message. Buy it for the art. Buy it for your kids. Buy it for yourself if you’re a kid at heart. Buy the sequel, Prince & Knight: Tale of the Shadow King (I need to buy the sequel). Buy the lesbian equivalent, Maiden & Princess, when it’s released.
