And Tango Makes Three

But this was not a tale: He started reading it out to Parnell, and "in reading it aloud, it started sounding like a children's story. They were aware, however, that the idea of two gay penguins striving to raise a child would prove more controversial than, say, the Little Red Hen's attempts to bake bread. We visited the zoo several times so that we were able to write from what we'd seen rather than just what we'd read.

We wanted to be able to stand behind the book and say 'this actually happened'. Though Parnell is keen to emphasise the story's connection with classic children's tales, Richardson, who is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia and Cornell universities in New York, focuses on the need that the book answers for many parents. When it comes to homosexuality, admits Judith Krug, director of the ALA's office for intellectual freedom, in the US, "people go a little crazy". Last year the ALA was notified of formal requests for books to be removed from libraries, most of which came from individual parents.

The role of the ALA, Krug explains, is to help librarians resist these requests.

March of the penguin protesters

People who complain about And Tango Makes Three really believe that homosexuality is wrong, that it's against God's commandments, that it's harming society. The problem is that these children are growing up in a society where some of their classmates are going to come from same sex couples.

She's not suggesting that people who don't want to read And Tango Makes Three should be made to do so. It's the fact that one complaint can make a book unavailable for thousands of people that she objects to - the "heckler's vote" where one person makes so much noise that no-one else can hear. I can't stand the idea of poisoning children against modern civilisation. Educationalists and librarians are expecting a much more muted reaction when the book is published in the UK later this year.

Especially when the library had this one available as a little minute audio choice. I opted for that version because me likey the listeny stuff sometimes and. High five to you, NPH. Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell obviously subscribe to the go big or go home approach to writing a sure-to-be challenged book! My question is, WTF difference does it make if this book is in a school library? View all 18 comments. Jun 26, Lisa Vegan rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Good grief Charlie Brown!

What is all the fuss about this book, anyway?!?!! This is a very sweet story.

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Well, as a vegan, I could tell you some very negative things about zoos. This is simply a lovely, fun, educational, heartwarming, innocent, and enjoyable book. View all 13 comments. Oct 02, Marie rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is apparently the 1 banned book in the country!

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View all 5 comments. IF I am correct View all 3 comments. Mar 08, Miss Lynx Canadensis rated it really liked it Shelves: This is my 4-year-old son's very favourite book, which he has insisted on me reading to him almost every night before he goes to sleep ever since I bought it for him two years ago or so. There are other kids' books I like better myself, but this one is really sweet, and he loves it beyond all measure. He even named his stuffed toy penguin Tango he had the toy before we got the book, but as soon as he heard the book read for the very first time, he decided the penguin was now Tango, and thus it This is my 4-year-old son's very favourite book, which he has insisted on me reading to him almost every night before he goes to sleep ever since I bought it for him two years ago or so.

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He even named his stuffed toy penguin Tango he had the toy before we got the book, but as soon as he heard the book read for the very first time, he decided the penguin was now Tango, and thus it has been ever since , and regularly asks me to make up new Tango stories for him. I'm not going to recap what it's about, because I think pretty much everyone knows that by now. But I do have to wonder how many people who get up in arms about it being "propaganda" or "inappropriate for children" or whatever have actually read it. It doesn't contain any references to sexuality whatsoever - it just says Roy and Silo loved each other and wanted to build a nest together and have a family.

There's really nothing intrinsically political about it at all. The fact that they're both male only really enters into it in that it's a obstacle to being able to start a family, because they can't lay an egg. The way the story is told, it's not much different than if they were an opposite-sex couple but one was infertile. But of course, in the context of a society that still suffers from a certain amount of entrenched homophobia, any acknowledgement of alternative family structures is implicitly political.

And so even a book as sweet and simple as this, where the underlying message is really just that everyone wants the same things in life - love and family - gets challenged as being, ironically, "anti-family", even though it's really about the most pro-family book there is. And I think the positive focus on loving families in it is one of the things that makes my son like it so much: I think reading that can make any child feel more loved, by proxy. Because really, love and family are what this book is all about. This nonfictional tale simply puts the topic of various love applications on the map for children to understand.

In the animal world, if a partner fits one's life, so be it. Nothing more to say. Other than, this is a lovely story that should be in every library throughout the world. May 30, Eastofoz rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Readers who want to introduce same sex couples in literature to their children. What a very cute story this turned out to be. Two male penguins end up hatching an egg that was given to them by the zoo keeper and they raise a baby penguin to become part of their happy family.

The controversy surrounding this book seems excessive in my opinion. Sure it has two male penguins and not a male and a female where's the "tragedy" there? This is the f What a very cute story this turned out to be. They saw it as two penguins who have a cute baby penguin and live happily ever after swimming away at the zoo. Yes the author mentions how girl and boy penguins get together to have a baby penguin and that Silo and Roy are boy penguins wanting to do the same but that could be a good jumping point into a discussion about same sex parents and their children or whatever other questions if any may come up.

It exposes children who may not otherwise be exposed to different kinds of families. The author adds a note at the end explaining how this is a true story and that the family can be seen frolicking away at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. View all 10 comments. Sep 25, Schizanthus rated it really liked it.

Roy and Silo became a couple in Jul 30, Ronyell rated it really liked it Shelves: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell have done a great job at discussing one of the major issues in our society in a lighthearted and comforting way. Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell makes this story extremely heartwarming and cute as Roy and Silo try so hard to build a family no matter how different they were from the other families.

This story brilliantly talks about embracing the differences of certain families and the way that Silo and Roy want to be parents even though they are both boys is portrayed in a positive way and this book will help children embrace diversity extremely easily. Parents should know that the theme of homosexuality in this book might upset some readers which caused this book to be banned and challenged in many states, even though this book is trying to point out that even the most unlikely couple can create a beautiful family.

Parents might want to talk to their children about how homosexuality is one of the most controversial issues discussed in society, but also discuss how the book was trying to promote a safe message about having a true family. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the theme of homosexuality might upset some parents. Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog Sep 14, Cheryl rated it really liked it.

And Tango Makes Three - Wikipedia

Somehow I never understood that this was based on Fact. Makes it less of a 'message' book and more worth reading, imo.

Enjoyed much more than I thought I would. I wonder if, had it been shelved in non-fiction, it would have raised such a furor. Do yourself a favor; spend ten minutes reading a banned book. Jun 17, Cathy rated it it was amazing Shelves: The paintings are beautiful, totally the kind I'd have poured over as a kid over and over again to catch all of the details of the lovely animals. The faces and body language for the penguins are so expressive, they would tell the story even without words. And the story is so touching and lovely, it actually got me all teared up. I know what it's like to want a baby and not be able to have one.

It's such a sweet and wonderful story to see these two little guys get the family they A perfect book. It's such a sweet and wonderful story to see these two little guys get the family they wanted. I know that this book has be at the center of a lot of debate.

One of the big arguments people against gay marriage or relationships throw around is that you don't see animals in homosexual relationships so it must not be natural. Well, it's not clear from this if sex is involved in these boy penguins' relationship, but they have certainly formed a long-term commitment and successfully raised their adopted daughter.

The book is fact, not fiction. I was expecting to see a lot of anthropomorphizing and assumptions about what the penguins were feeling, but there really wasn't. The keeper thinks that they must be in love, based upon their actions, but that's the only assumption. The rest is just reporting their behavior: And when they were given an egg that needed to be cared for, they successfully took care of it until it hatched.

Yes, there is clearly an agenda here. The story shows that this family was just like every other family in the penguin house or in the zoo or in the city, like it says at the end of the book. And it's a lovely, sweet and special story that I think should be told as often as possible, for many reasons. But if some people disagree then they just shouldn't read it, let their kids read it, or should even tell people they know why they won't read it.

But they should not try to take actions that would prevent me from reading it. Banning books must never be an option in a free society. View all 6 comments. Apr 28, Kathryn rated it really liked it Shelves: It's popularity and controversy made me tentative before--not due to the subject, but because I thought it might have been a platform book meant to push an agenda, rather than simply tell a good story. Upon reading, I have come to the decision that it is both. This is the very sweet true story of two penguins from the Central Park Zoo who happen to be male, happen to adore one another, and happen to want to sit on a nest and hatch a chick.

Only, of course, they can't quite lay an egg like the male-female penguin pairings do. But when their zookeeper notices their tenacity, he decides to let them lay on a fertilized egg that was an unwanted "twin" from another nest. Thus, the penguins become dads! The illustrations are darling and I found myself pulling for the penguin duo, feeling for them on in their initial struggles at trying to hatch a rock! Now, for the "gay penguin" aspect: I wondered if this was the author's intent, or simply the perceptions of certain readers projected into the story.

However, the reason I think it has an "agenda" is, first of all, the author is a psychologist I don't remember the exact degree and has written some books about sexuality--no problem with that, but I'm just saying this is in contrast to, say, an author of children's books or an animal behaviorist or zoological author who might be more interested in this being a cute animal story. Secondly, some of the word choices indicate "gay penguin" vs "male penguins who hang out together.

The other one that seemed pretty obvious, the zookeeper notices their behavior and says, "They must be in love! Personally, I am delighted that there is a well-written, sweet and adorable animal story out there that could fill a gap albeit, I'm hoping, a narrowing one for children with gay parents--or, frankly, ANY children to able to be exposed to just one of the wide array of ways that families are created. However, it is a shame that, in the few cases as mentioned above, the author had to take it a bit too far into "gay penguin" territory and thus alienate a huge readership from this very sweet and TRUE animal story.

I think, had he left those things out, the story could have appealed equally to a wide variety of readerships, each bringing to the story what they wanted to see. View all 8 comments. I chose this for Banned Books Week but I couldn't wait any longer to read it. Disappointingly my library copy came with a warning slapped on the cover. What's to be frightened about with 'same sex families'? Based on a real life story, two male penguins pair up and want what comes naturally to all other animals.

They want to to procreate. And every morning Roy and Silo woke up together. But one day Roy and Silo saw that the other couples could do something they could not. Roy and Silo had no egg to sit on and keep warm. They had no baby chick to feed and cuddle and love. Their nest was nice, but it was a little empty. Is someone chopping onions? My eyes are leaking.

They found a rock and tried to hatch it, mimicking the other penguins by taking turns to sit on it to keep it warm. And of course, nothing happened. Until a zookeeper gave them a real egg. Then finally they were 'just like all the other penguin families' as loving and nurturing parents to their offspring. And Tango Makes Three is a beautiful story and a lovely way to introduce children to homosexuality in a normalized fashion. Here's the human equivalent. Another family like any other, yet the first photo sparked a deluge of racist and homophobic comments.

You can read more about them in their book Picture Perfect? I think the most unconventional family I've come across was in a documentary about a couple who were gay female-to-male transgendered. One of them had undergone gender reassignment surgery and the other used his uterus to have babies via a sperm donor. They had three or four children and were loving parents. Love is love, and family is what you make it. If any child in a neglectful or abusive situation were to be offered a loving home with a gay couple, I'm sure they'd jump at the chance.

As long as the children are loved, who really cares if their parents are gay, straight or transgendered?

1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson.
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Sep 16, Kimberlyn rated it it was ok. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Illustrator: Non-fiction Picture Book Grades: It is about two male penguins, Roy and Silo, and their unique relationship.

Roy and Silo got along so well, as if they were in love. They would do things as couples would do.



They built a nest together and sat on a rock to hatch. Even though they took turns sitting on the rock, it never hatched. Granzay, their keeper, took an egg from another penguin couple that he knew could not take care of two eggs at the same time. He gave the extra egg to Roy and Silo to see what they would or could do to help the egg to survive.

Roy and Silo took turns sitting on the egg, and one day it hatched. The new little penguin was named Tango.