And Tango Makes Three by
Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Summary: This true
story is about two penguins who call the Central Park Zoo their home. They are given an egg by the zookeeper
because the mother of the egg cannot care for more than one baby at a
time. The penguin pair that adopts
this egg are two boys: Roy and Silo.
Roy, Silo, and their baby, Tango, become local celebrities at the zoo.
My Impressions: I
love this story and illustrations.
Even before reading the book, I knew about Tango, Roy, and Silo because
they made national news. The
author’s did a wonderful job of telling the story without being preachy, and I
love how at the end there is an author’s note that explains how Roy and Silo
were given an egg to take care of.
The illustrations are beautiful and really bring to life the
narration. While I know that it
would be hard to say that this book should become required reading in all
classes, I really do think that as many children and young adults as possible
should be exposed to this story.
Review: Tango has two daddies in this heartwarming tale, inspired
by actual events in New York's Central Park Zoo. Two male penguins, Roy and
Silo, "did everything together. They bowed to each other.… They sang to
each other. And swam together. Wherever Roy went, Silo went too. … Their
keeper… thought to himself, 'They must be in love.'" Cole's (The Sissy
Duckling) endearing watercolors follow the twosome as they frolic
affectionately in several vignettes and then try tirelessly to start a family--first
they build a stone nest and then they comically attempt to hatch a rock. Their
expressive eyes capture a range of moods within uncluttered, pastel-hued scenes
dominated by pale blue. When the keeper discovers an egg that needs tending, he
gives it to Roy and Silo, who hatch and raise the female. The keeper says,
"We'll call her Tango,… because it takes two to make a Tango." Older
readers will most appreciate the humor inherent in her name plus the larger
theme of tolerance at work in this touching tale. Richardson and Parnell,
making their children's book debut, ease into the theme from the start,
mentioning that "families of all kinds" visit the zoo. This tender
story can also serve as a gentle jumping-off point for discussions about same-sex
partnerships in human society. Ages 4-8. (June)
Library Use: This would be a great book to use if the library does
something for Banned Books Week.
Students could read this book in the library and then hold a
debate/philosophical chairs over why they think the book is challenged in
schools and whether or not there is any merit to those challenges. Younger students could have the book
read to them in the library and then draw a picture of their own family. These pictures could be put on a
bulletin board along with Tango’s family so that everyone can see that not all
families are exactly alike.
References:
Richardson, J. and Parnell, P. (2005). And Tango makes
three. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster
[Book review of And Tango Makes Three by J. Richardson and P. Parnell] (2005). Publisher’s
Weekly, 252(20), p. 61-62
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