Module 15: And Tango Makes Three

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.                                  

        

APA Reference of Book:

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.    

Professional Review:

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.