And Tango Makes Three by: Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole

Ages: 4+

Roy and Silo are two male penguins, however they are a little bit “different.” They do everything the other penguin couples do – bow to each other, walk together, sing to each other, swim together, build a nest of stones for themselves, and sleep together. Since they are both male penguins, they are not able to lay an egg. This makes Roy and Silo sad. Roy finds something that looks like what the other penguins were hatching, and they sit on it to keep it warm. However, nothing happens, because it is just a rock. The zookeeper, Mr. Gramzay, brings an egg that needs to be cared for to Roy and Silo’s nest. Will they finally be able to hatch a baby penguin of their own? Find out in And Tango Makes Three.

And Tango Makes Three is a true story that is considered a controversial book in today’s society. After reading the book, I did not find it as controversial as it is made out to be. It does cover the topic of gay relationships in the book, however I feel that it is done in a kid friendly way. I think it is more kid friendly because of the fact that the authors use penguins to discuss the controversial topic of gay relationships. The penguins, Roy and Silo, were just like all the other penguins. They did all the things other penguin couples did and were not treated any differently. The only difference was their sexual orientation. The authors do a great job of describing Roy and Silo’s relationship. They take their time leading up to telling the reader of their sexual orientation and that they are in love, by first describing how they are just like all the other penguins. I think that And Tango Makes Three would be a great book to introduce the topic of gay relationships to children. However, this is a controversial book, and it is up to the school district to decide if teachers can use this book in their classrooms. The illustrations in this book were beautifully done. They are soft, yet detailed. The emotions of the penguins can be seen in the illustrations. The text interacts with the illustrations well. Overall, the topic of gay relationships is not overdone in this book. This book is a story of love. It shows the love two adults (regardless of gender) can have for each other, and the love they can show a child they raise. And Tango Makes Three shows that love can be shared in any type of family. This book is a great way to introduce children to the concept of different types of families, including gay relationships.