There are so many animal families at the zoo.
But Tango’s family isn’t like the others.
Roy and Silo were penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York City.
When the zoo keeper, Mr. Gramzay noticed that Roy and Silo wound their necks around each other, swam together, walked together, and sang and bowed to each other, he determined they were in love.
They made a nest of stones just like the other penguin couples. Overtime, Roy and Silo realized they had no egg to sit on and no baby chick to feed, and cuddle, and love.
When Mr. Gramzay found an egg that needed to be cared for, Roy and Silo knew just what to do.
Tango was born and became the first penguin in the zoo to have two dads.
Although I’m not a fan of caging animals in a zoo, this sweet story is a true story of what happened at the Central Park Zoo in 2000 when two male penguins paired off during mating season.
This book has won multiple awards including the ASPCA Henry Bergh Book Award named after the man who founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The illustrations of the adorable chinstrap penguins are expressive and made me feel all warm and fuzzy. This picture book is recommended for children ages 4 – 8.
After researching, I discovered that authors Richardson and Parnell are a gay couple who were inspired to write the story after hearing about Roy and Silo. At the time of its publication, And Tango Makes Three was both praised and seen as controversial.
This gentle story reminds us that all you need is love to make a family.
It normalizes non-traditional families and opens our minds and hearts to all types of relationships.
Helps with: inclusion, same sex families, non-traditional families, family love, affection, and responsibility, love is love, pride, diversity in families, differences being accepted, compassion and respect for all living creatures.
Author: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005