And Tango Makes Three

And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (2005)

          This adorable picture book tells the story of two male penguins who end up 'adopting' an egg to raise together. But of course, this story has a message a little more broad than that, which is why it is considered so controversial -- it seems to represents the positive aspects of same-sex couples adopting children. Of course, the book is based off of a true story, so it is entirely possible to ignore the social or political aspects of the story and smile at the antics of two penguins building a nest and sitting on a rock. I personally cannot see why anyone would take offense at this book -- it's very cute, and the illustrations by Henry Cole personify the penguins just enough to make us relate to them, but not enough to make it overly cartoon-like. It's really a story about family and love - and who can argue with that?
          I might use this book in my classroom to talk about different types of families. Since it does discuss the issue through animals I feel that students will find it fun. The story is simple and the introduction by the authors about "different types of families" lends itself nicely to this discussion. I do feel that there are better types of books to use for this, however, like In Our Mothers' House by Patricia Polacco. I do feel, however, that And Tango Makes Three seems like it should lend itself to less controversy -- except for the national attention it has received. I would definitely make this book available in a classroom for younger elementary students to read.