And Tango Makes Three

by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell

book data

482 ratings, 4.44 average rating, 153 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		58%
4		29%
3		10%
2		0%
1		1%

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published

April 26th 2005 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

binding

Hardcover, 32 pages

isbn

0689878451 (isbn13: 9780689878459)

description

Illustrated by Henry Cole

In the zoo there are all kinds of animal families. But Tango's family is not like any of the others.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Banned Books: * General book club business	22	82	18 days ago, 04:10AM
EDRL442/642 UNR C...: * Picture Book Annotated Bibliography	22	23	05/07/2009 12:08AM
Spring 09 LLED, A...: The I Love You Award	14	41	03/02/2009 06:17PM

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lists with this book

Banned Books 2007-2008

84 books | 131 voters

Lambda Literary Award / Childrens/Young Adult category winners and nominees

63 books | 4 voters

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 730)

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02/18/08

Marika Gillis rated it:

bookshelves: childrens-books

Read in February, 2008

This true story about two penguins who live in the Central Park Zoo has been creating quite a controversy. I heard about the book this morning on The View (yes, I do inevitably end up watching four women squabbling on tv when I don't have to work, and controversies like this are the reason I keep going back!). After hearing about it, I just had to check out the book for myself at Barnes and Noble.

This children's book tells the story of Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins. Like ...more

Like this review? yes (18 people liked it)

1 comment

11/03/08

Chandra rated it:

bookshelves: picture-books

I finally got to see what all the fuss was about! For those who don't know this is the true story about two male chinstrap penguins(Roy and Silo) who become constant companions and even build a nest together. I'll admit I went into this with a little trepidation. It's pretty clear this is an agenda promoting book and, even though it's an agenda I agree with wholeheartedly, it seems a little cynical to use a children's book as a political platform. And since it is an agenda I am pretty inves...more

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

11 comments

04/28/09

Kathryn rated it:

bookshelves: children-s-books

Read in April, 2009

Review Updated*SEE COMMENTS*

Encouraged by my friend Chandra's positive review, I decided to finally give this book a try. 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...more Review Updated*SEE COMMENTS*

Encouraged by my friend Chandra's positive review, I decided to finally give this book a try. 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 (!) and then cheering as they finally hatched little Tango (and, oh, how cute Tango is, too!)

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. In my opinion, it IS mean to be a book about gay parents and adopted children--more than that, of course, it is a book about FAMILY and LOVE. 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." For example, it clearly points out that the boy penguins and the girl penguins hang out together, pair up, and lay eggs--BUT--these two male penguins don't like to hang out with the girl penguins, just with one another. The other one that seemed pretty obvious, the zookeeper notices their behavior and says, "They must be in love!" (rather than, say, "they must really like each other" or even "they must love each other"--"in love" giving a coupledom or marriage sort of connotation, rather than one that is more universal).

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.
(less)

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

11 comments

10/02/08

Marie rated it:

bookshelves: children

This is apparently the #1 banned book in the country! My husband sought it out at the library, and it has a big red tag on the cover that says "BANNED!" I love the fact that it is a true story!

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

1 comment

09/16/08

Kimberlyn rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Title: "And Tango Makes Three"
Author: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Illustrator: Henry Cole
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: 2005

Genre: Non-fiction Picture Book
Grades: K-6
Banned/Challenged Book

This book is a true story that actually occured at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. It is about two male penguins, Roy and Silo, and their unique relationship. Roy and Silo got along so well...more

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05/09/08

Krista rated it:

bookshelves: picture-books

Read in October, 2007

As fond followers of ALA’s “Banned Book Week” would admit, when a title such as this one is added to the infamous list, it only makes circulation numbers on the title go up as well as critical discussion on the values of the work. The fact that the plot is based on a true story adds so much narrative power and reliability, and makes Richardson’s work one of the most excellent and relevant sources out of the fairly lackluster and minimal collection on this topic to date. Richardson is an ...more

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06/26/08

Lisa Vegan rated it:

bookshelves: childrens, fiction, picture-books, reviewed

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: absolutely everyone, especially kids 4-8 with same sex parents, but all kids & adults

Good grief Charlie Brown! What is all the fuss about this book, anyway?!?!!

This is a very sweet story. It’s the true tale about 2 male penguins who are a pair and how they came to tend an egg and then raise Tango, a baby penguin. This happens at the Central Park Zoo in New York City, and the illustrations really show off Central Park and the zoo; they’re beautiful and the expressions on the penguins’ faces are priceless.

This is a picture book for 4-8 year olds and i...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

5 comments

05/19/08

Linda rated it:

bookshelves: realistic-fiction

Although this is a controversial book, it is wonderfully writen. This is a true story of two boy penguins fall in love and adopt an egg to care for and raise as their own. It illustrates how there are different kinds of families and how they all share the same kind of love. Kids will enjoy the story and love the penguins and this will open up their minds and invite discussions on different kinds of families. Pre-k through 2nd.

From SLJ:
"This tale based on a true story ab...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

03/01/09

Krista the Krazy Kataloguer rated it:

bookshelves: read-childrens-books

Read in March, 2009

Cute story about 2 male penguins who hatch an egg and become parents at the zoo in Central Park. Apparently this actually happened at the zoo. There was a book that came out a while back about homosexuality in nature--Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity by Bruce Bagemihl. This incident at the zoo would seem to bear out the author's observations. Most interesting.

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06/13/08

akaellen rated it:

bookshelves: banned, childrens, read2008

recommends it for: Everyone

Did you know that this is the most contested book of 2007?

I had to see what all the hoopla was about...what i found was a sweet, sweet book based on the true story of 2 male penguins who live in the Central Park Zoo and seem to be "a couple".

If you haven't seen this book - look it up. It will take you about 5 mins to read and you will support our free access to all kinds of information.

Fight Censorship!!!

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

04/21/09

Lorna rated it:

bookshelves: children-s

Read in April, 2009

I was interested in this book because it's the most challenged book in the past year in libraries. It's a sweet little story with cute illustrations that's based on a true story of two male penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo. They bonded and raised a baby penguin named Tango together.
I don't have a lot to say on the controversy over homosexuality as represented in this book... My personal beliefs on this issue are in tumult at the moment, as I've been recently examining my faith as a ...more

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06/13/08

treehugger rated it:

bookshelves: kidsbooks, myfaves

Read in January, 2008

This is my favorite kids book that wasn't written by the good Dr. Seuss. I don't know WHY in the world people are offended by this book - it's not in-your-face-homosexuality and it's just SWEET! And the pictures are truly darling. Go to the bookstore. Sit in a comfy chair. And prepare to spend 10 minutes of your day being amazed at this fabulous book!

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

06/17/09

Catherine rated it:

bookshelves: animals, banned-books, childrens, classic, non-fiction

Read in July, 2009

A perfect book. 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...more A perfect book. 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 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: they played together, swam together, bowed to each other, built and nest and sat on rocks and even had one special rock that they treated like an egg. And when they were given an egg that needed to be cared for, they successfully took care of it until it hatched. Pretty amazing stuff. 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. (less)

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

3 comments

07/05/08

Alli rated it:

I love this book! Not only is it adorable, but it is a true story of love between two gay penguins who are given an egg to foster. I think it is an excellent way to teach young children about homosexuality.

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02/05/08

Bottom Shelf Books rated it:

http://bottomshelfbooks.blogspot.com/200...

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04/21/09

Kyoko rated it:

Read in April, 2009

This is based on a true story of a male penguin couple in the New York City Zoo. Its pastel watercolors are used effectively to simple but attractive characters and backgrounds. This book could be used in a family unit, especially homosexuality and a science unit on animals, especially penguins. The story could tell how homosexual family experience through penguins’ eyes. This book would be great for read aloud to introduce variety of families. Moreover, readers would learn animals’ life thr...more

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02/04/09

Jennifer rated it:

bookshelves: minority-author-or-topic, non-fiction, picture-books

Read in February, 2009

And Tango Makes Three was a cute story with pretty illustrations, but didn't stand out in my mind as far as picture books go. The reason for which this book has received a lot of attention, is, of course, because the (romantic?) relationship between two male penguins is the center of the story, and the couple ends up raising their own little baby penguin. Because I, personally, am in favor of GLBT issues, the book seemed like just another book to me about how there are different types of famil...more

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11/17/08

Daryl rated it:

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Daryl by: saw the book on a talkshow
recommends it for: anyone

I recently saw a discussion on a television talk show about this charming little book. Two of the women were mothers and were discussing how they wouldn't read this book to their children. I had heard of the book before so I decided to buy the book and see for myself what might be "offensive" enough in a children's book to keep it away from little eyes.

What I found, is an enduring story (and a true one) based on two male penquins who form a bond so strong and loving that t...more I recently saw a discussion on a television talk show about this charming little book. Two of the women were mothers and were discussing how they wouldn't read this book to their children. I had heard of the book before so I decided to buy the book and see for myself what might be "offensive" enough in a children's book to keep it away from little eyes.

What I found, is an enduring story (and a true one) based on two male penquins who form a bond so strong and loving that their keeper guesses "they must be in love." The story shows the two boy penquins doing all the same things the mated penquins do with the exception of hatching their own little baby. After the keeper finds an extra egg that is laid by another penquin couple (penquins can only take care of one egg), he decides to give Roy and Silo (the male couple) a chance to rear a little one. With much dedication, the two loving penquins take turns sitting on their nest and after a while, they hatch a cute little daughter, who is named Tango by the keeper.

To me, this book is a story of love. It shows how families are made up of different components and yet, with differences, there can still be undying love. I think many people might look at this book as only a children's book addressing homosexuality. These people are missing the point. This book is a story of love....the love two adults (regardless of gender) can have for each other and the love they can show a child that they raise. It could also been seen, in my opinion, as a book about adoption, where a couple can't have children and how they still shower their baby with love though it is not their own biological creation.

I think the story is told with tenderness and is thoughtful of the mind of a child. I don't think a small child would come away with anything more than two penquins who love their baby very much. The illustrations are nicely done, simple but fun. To anyone who wants to share of story of love and tolerance at an early age, this is a good book. Highly recommended. (less)

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10/03/08

Stacey Hoffman rated it:

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell is a banned/challenged book.

And Tango Makes Three is about a zoo in New York City where there are families of animals that live together. All of the couples have one boy and one girl in them except for one penguin couple. Roy and Silo and both boys and love each other. They do everything together; they even nest together at night. The boys become envious of the other couples because Roy and Silo can not lay an egg and...more

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08/26/08

Becky Tilton rated it:

Plot summary: And Tango Makes Three is a banned book. This informational book talks about the issue of same-sex relationships. I loved it and I would put in my class library without hesitation. The story is set in a zoo and begins telling about the animal families. It then focuses on how penguins pair up to mate. The story tells of two male penguins who don’t seem interested in the girl penguins (and the girls aren’t interested in them either). They begin as friends and then start to act li...more

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polls

Run off poll: What frequently challenged or banned MODERN book should we read in July?

(We will select two books but you can read either, both or none of course.)

The Satanic Verses A Novel by Salman Rushdie

2 votes, 22.2%

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

4 votes, 44.4%

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

3 votes, 33.3%

9 total votes

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