The Prince and Him: a rainbow bedtime story… (2007) is a self-published fairy tale written by Kendal Nite and illustrated by Y. Brassel. The story begins with Prince Edmond’s parents urging him to marry a princess and enter adulthood. The prince’s father lines up local girls for him to kiss and he does, but he is not enticed. His mother gives him money and sends him into the world to find his love. He leaves home and keeps kissing maidens, but doesn’t find his bride.

Then, he sees a muscular young man bathing in a pond. The prince kisses the young man who quickly declared his love for him. The two return to Prince Edmond’s home where they are met by his delighted parents. The villagers are equally accepting, cheering their new kings., who, of course, live happily ever after.

The book reads like a mere summary of the story it should have been. There is no conflict, no personality, and no romance or whimsy. The illustrations are quaint and complement the otherwise bland book nicely, but it still feels like half of it is missing.

This review is part of my “Snapshots of LGBTQ Kid Lit” project. I’m working on a book, The New Queer Children’s Literature: Exploring the Principles and Politics of LGBTQ* Children’s Picture Books, which is under contract with the University Press of Mississippi. Part of my research is identifying and interpreting English-language children’s picture books with LGBTQ* content published in the US and Canada between 1979 and 2019. Follow my blog to follow my journey.