Mod 15: And Tango Makes Three Review

What's It All About?

Tango's family isn't the typical setup you'd see in the zoo. Tango has two parents, both are male. This picture book is an illustrated version of the true tale of Tango and his papas.

What'd I Think?

I loved it. It's a sweet tale of two penguins who are in love and longing for a child. When they substituted a rock for an egg, it melted my heart. Tango is so lucky to have been raised by his adoptive family. This would even be a great story to read just regarding adoption and showing that you don't have to be the birth parents to show love to your child.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

What'd They Think?

Horn Book Guide

(October 01, 2005; 9780689878459)

Two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo court, build a nest, and raise their (adopted) daughter Tango. Highly anthropomorphized to maximize the sentimental but noteworthy lesson on family diversity, the story gains depth from the biological reality of same-sex penguin partnering. Gentle illustrations of the smiling penguin family add appeal, if not scientific accuracy, to this book based on a true story. (c) Copyright 2010.

Publishers Weekly

(May 16, 2005; 9780689878459)

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)

What Do I Do With It?

Students can draw their own depiction of the penguin family based on real photos and the illustrations.