And Tango Makes Three

AND TANGO MAKES THREE
Richardson, J, Parnell, P, & illustrated by Cole, H (2005). And tango makes three. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

And Tango Makes Three is a children’s book based on a true story of two male chinstrap penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo. The authors of this story include an authors' note at the end in order to inform their readers about how this book was written and their connections to it. They are clear that they have visited the zoo where these penguins live in Central Park but they do not address whether they are insiders or just informed. This story discusses the various kinds of families that visit the zoo as well as the families that live in the zoo. The family the story focuses on consists of two male penguins who have fallen in love, Roy and Silo. The book contains information that has caused controversy among many adults across the United States. In fact, And Tango Makes Three is the winner of The ASPCA Henry Bergh Award as well as placed on the banned book list in 2006. Some argue that elementary school libraries are not appropriate places to push political agendas such as the issue of GLBTQ. Some adults also argue that the book discusses issues of sexuality that are not appropriate in children’s literature.

I however feel that this book is a necessity in children’s literature today. First, I feel that the topic of family far outweighs the focus that is placed on sexuality in the book. I find there to be about three to four references that could be interpreted in a way that deals with the sexuality of males and females. For example, on page 10 the authors explain that, “Every night Roy and Silo slept there together…” This could be interpreted to mean that every night these two male penguins have sexual relations with each other. However, this is not an explicit reference to sexuality and could also be interpreted that two penguins are just sleeping in the same area as each other, just as a brother and sister or two friends could sleep together. Another reference in the book that many could say creates focus surrounding sexuality deals with the conception of a penguin, discussing a mama penguin’s eggs and how they tend to these eggs until they are hatched. This text that includes a discussion about the eggs continues for about four pages. Therefore, controversy spread about whether or not it is appropriate for young children to learn about the conception and sexuality of penguins or adults.

These are the only times that sexuality could even be presumed to be talked about in entirety of the book. The focus is much more importantly directed towards the various families that can exist and the love that all families contain. This content is explicitly explored throughout the book. For example, on the opening two pages of the book, the author’s discuss the families that visit the zoo. When looking at the illustrations that accompany that page, they contain several different types of families. There is what appears to be a single mom pushing a stroller, a mother and a father with a young boy, two moms with two children, and two fathers with a child. Although this is not stated in words, the illustrations are portraying various types of families in a very subtle but yet effective way. On the third page of the story, families are again mentioned, this time in the form of other animals in the zoo. They note five different animal groups and their families to again focus on the various families that exist within the zoo. On pages 7 and 8 the relationship that Roy and Silo have is explored and shown through various activities they do together, such as swimming together, singing together, walking together, etc. None of these activities involve sexuality or sexual behaviors, but rather regular behaviors and activities that all penguins experience. On the following page, the author’s mention their keeper who says that Roy and Silo, “…must be in love.” Again the focus is on love that two people share which I feel is more than appropriate to discuss in children’s literature. Finally, the ending pages of the story describe the way Roy and Silo are able to have a baby penguin, Tango. The description about the ability for any two penguins, whether they are male and male, or male and female, to care and love a baby penguin is very much the same. Although two male penguins cannot physically conceive their own baby penguin, they are in no way hindered in taking care of a baby penguin. That is the message of the story, not one of sexuality and conception of penguins. Reading it as that is overlooking the main focus of the story, which is about families of all different make-ups that love and care about each other.