King Rollo and King Frank

King Rollo isn’t happy: King Frank is coming to tea and Rollo doesn’t like him: he’s bossy and he cheats. Yet when King Frank appears, Rollo and Frank actually have rather a nice time playing games and having tea. When the court magician asks Rollo if he still dislikes King Frank, Rollo says in fact they’re good friends, even though King Frank is still taller.

The joy of the King Rollo books is that the King is very clearly a child – perhaps a comment in itself about some famous historical kings and queens who may, on occasion, have acted rather selfishly or had changeable whims. In his everyday life adventures, the King does everything a normal kid would, including having a play date with someone they weren’t that keen on to begin with. Children will recognize the experience of realizing that the child they didn’t think they liked that much is actually lots of fun – and McKee’s anarchic and jolly illustration is as a joy as ever.