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A review by alinaborger
His Royal Highness, King Baby: A Terrible True Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones
5.0
King Baby introduces us to a perfectly lovely princess (an ordinary girl with pantyhose on her head for Rapunzel-esque locks) who regins supreme in her family until her baby brother is born and he usurps her throne.
This book is just terrific. The words of the story are in the point of view of the main character, but the illustrations complexify the story in two particularly effective ways. First, the illustrator has included several of the protagonist’s own drawings as central elements of the art. These, like the words, show her perspective on what’s happening in her family. Second, however, the artist’s “own” illustrations create the illusion of being the actual lived experience of the protagonist. These images call the protagonist’s perspective into question at some points and outright contradict it at others. Readers learn--in a very subtle way--about the unreliability of their narrator.
Essentially, the author hands us a children’s book. The illustrator hands us a parenting manual--a very funny one, which suggests that letting a kid tell the story they need to tell, regardless of how true it is, is a fine strategy, indeed.
This book is just terrific. The words of the story are in the point of view of the main character, but the illustrations complexify the story in two particularly effective ways. First, the illustrator has included several of the protagonist’s own drawings as central elements of the art. These, like the words, show her perspective on what’s happening in her family. Second, however, the artist’s “own” illustrations create the illusion of being the actual lived experience of the protagonist. These images call the protagonist’s perspective into question at some points and outright contradict it at others. Readers learn--in a very subtle way--about the unreliability of their narrator.
Essentially, the author hands us a children’s book. The illustrator hands us a parenting manual--a very funny one, which suggests that letting a kid tell the story they need to tell, regardless of how true it is, is a fine strategy, indeed.