And
Tango Makes Three by Justin
Richardson & Peter Parnell
Book Cover Image:
Book Summary:
And Tango Makes Three is based on a true story. Each year at the penguin enclosure in New
York Central Park Zoo, the penguins pair off.
One couple was different from the rest because both were boys. Roy and Silo did everything together, including
building a nest. But neither Roy nor
Silo could lay an egg to raise a baby, so Roy found an egg shaped rock for him
and Silo to sit on. They took turns
trying to hatch their baby rock, but it didn’t work. The zookeeper, Mr. Gramzay, noticed how much
Roy and Silo wanted a baby, so he found an egg for them. Roy and Silo took turns keeping the egg warm,
until a baby girl penguin was hatched.
Mr. Gramzay named her Tango. Now
Tango and her two dads are a family.
Richardson,
J. & Parnell, P. (2005). And Tango
makes three. New York: Simon & Shuster.
Impressions:
And Tango Makes
Three
is a sweet story about a nontraditional animal family. The authors, Richardson and Parnell, directly
address the often taboo subject of same-sex partnerships, referring to Roy and
Silo as a couple and having the zookeeper observe that “they must be in love.” A particularly poignant moment in the book is
when Roy brings back an egg shaped rock indicating a need to start a
family. With a little help from the
zookeeper, Roy and Silo are able to become daddies, and they take good care of
their adopted daughter. The reader may
wonder where Mr. Gramzay found the egg that he gave to Roy and Silo, but that
is answered in the author’s note at the end of the book. The soft watercolor illustrations by Henry
Cole endow Roy and Silo with recognizable human-like expressions of love, happiness,
and yearning.
Publishers Weekly
“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.”
Publishers
Weekly. (2005, May 16). [Review of the book And Tango make three, by J. Richardson & P.
Parnell]. Publishers Weekly, (252)20, 61-62. Retrieved from
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Library
Uses:
Elementary
School Library
And Tango Makes Three can be the lead-in to an assortment of penguin
inspired activities. Students can
collect stones from around the school to create their own penguin nest; then
students can be given a cardstock egg or even a plastic Easter-egg to place in
the middle. Students can also practice
bowing, singing, and walking like penguins.
Don’t forget to take pictures, so the kids can keep them as keepsakes.
