Book Summary: This book tells the true story of two male penguins from the New York zoo who follow the example of male and female penguins by first taking care of an egg-shaped rock that is then switched for a real egg. They take care of the egg until it hatches. Then their family is complete.
My Impressions: While this book is controversial in nature, it is a sweet story that emphasizes the importance of family, even if it is different from the typical definition of family. This is a way to ease into the introduction of same sex relationships because the characters are penguins and not people. I love that it is based on a true story. I hope the true message of this book will not be lost because both the penguins are male. I think a lot can be learned from reading this book. The illustrations are beautiful and complement the story nicely.
Professional Review: As told by Richardson and Parnell (a psychiatrist and playwright), this true story remains firmly within the bounds of the zoo’s polar environment, as do Cole’s expressive but still realistic watercolors (a far cry from his effete caricatures in Harvey Fierstein’s The Sissy Duckling, 2002). Emphasizing the penguins’ naturally ridiculous physiques while gently acknowledging their situation, Cole’s pictures complement the perfectly cadenced text-showing, for example, the bewildered pair craning their necks toward a nest that was ‘nice, but a little empty
Mattson, J. (2005, November). [Review of the book And Tango makes three, by J. Richardson and P. Parnell]. Booklist, 101(18), 1657. Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Library Uses: Librarians have to be careful how they use this book in the library because of its controversial nature. Librarians could use this book as part of a storytime on different types of family units (single mom, single dad, same sex, etc.) as long as it was advertised and clear to parents beforehand that the issue of same sex relationships will be discussed.
