And Tango Makes Three

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And Tango Makes Three  

First edition cover of And Tango Makes Three
Author Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Illustrator Henry Cole
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Children's literature
Publisher Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Publication date April 26, 2005
Media type print (hardcover)
Pages 32
ISBN 0689878451

And Tango Makes Three is a 2005 children's book written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole. The book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo who for six years formed a couple. The book follows part of this time in the penguins' lives.

The book has won many awards but also been at the center of numerous censorship and culture war debates on same-sex marriage, adoption and homosexuality in animals. The American Library Association reports that And Tango Makes Three was the most challenged book of 2006, 2007, and 2008.[1]

Contents


[edit] Plot synopsis

Roy and Silo, two New York Central Park Zoo male Chinstrap Penguins similar to those pictured, became internationally known when they coupled and later were given an egg that needed hatching and care, which they successfully did.[2]

The book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo who for six years formed a couple. The book follows part of this time in the penguins' lives. The pair were observed trying to hatch a rock that resembled an egg. When zookeepers realized that Roy and Silo were both male, it occurred to them to give them the second egg of a mixed-sex penguin couple, a couple which had previously been unable to successfully hatch two eggs at once. Roy and Silo hatched and raised the healthy young chick, a female named "Tango" by keepers, together as a family.

[edit] Reception

Due to the penguin parents being of the same sex, some adults in the United States have objected to children reading the book.[3] The natural existence of homosexuality in non-human animals is considered controversial by conservative religious groups who oppose LGBT social movements because these findings seem to point to the natural occurrence of homosexuality in humans.[2] It also counters the idea of 'peccatum contra naturam' ('sin against nature') - after Thomas Aquinas - established since Medieval Christianity.[4] Whether this has logical or ethical implications is also a source of debate, with some arguing that it is illogical to use animal behavior to justify what is or is not moral (see appeal to nature).[2][5][6]

In Shiloh, Illinois, some parents of students at Shiloh Elementary School requested in November 2006 that the book be placed in a restricted section of the library and for the school to require parental permission prior to checking the book out; the school's superintendent resolved instead to keep the book freely available.[7] In Missouri, parents had the book moved to the school library's non-fiction section.[3] In Charlotte, North Carolina, the superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Peter Gorman, ordered the book removed from school libraries on December 20, 2006. Gorman agreed to let a committee review the decision due to concerns that the policy on banning books was not followed.[8]

The American Library Association reports that And Tango Makes Three was the most challenged book of 2006, 2007, and 2008.[9] In 2008, Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edgar B. Hatrick removed the book from general circulation at public elementary school libraries on the basis of a parent's complaint, overriding the decision of a Sterling, Virginia school principal and staff members who deemed the book suitable for young readers.[10][11] Hatrick subsequently returned the book into circulation as he found "significant procedural errors that he believes void the process followed in this matter".[12] Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the book is far from a “true story.” “It’s very misleading,” she said, “and it’s a very disingenuous, inaccurate way to promote a political agenda to little kids. What they’re not telling kids is that the supposedly gay penguin who is the star of this story later mated with a female penguin in real life. The penguin’s heterosexual behavior was widely reported in national news, including the Chicago Tribune. “Besides the point that it’s not even an accurate story, the bottom line is that elementary school libraries are not appropriate places to push political agendas.”[13] In Calvert County, Maryland near Washington, D.C. a mother requested that the book be removed from the children's section and placed in an area specifically for books about "alternative or non-traditional families." The library board of trustees denied the request, concluding that libraries should disseminate information fairly and without bias or judgment.[14] Shortly thereafter, in November 2008, the Calvert County Library Board of Trustees heard another challenge to the book. A parent, describing the book as presenting issues of sexuality to children too young to understand them, asked that the book be removed from the library, shelved with adult books on sexuality, or marked with a "red dot" to alert parents to its controversial nature. The parent charged that the book's statement that penguins Roy and Silo "slept together" is an obvious reference to sexual behavior between the birds.[15]

In Ankeny, Iowa parents at the local elementary school asked in 2008 that this book be placed in a restricted section of the library so only parents could check it out. The school district's lawyer argued that such a decision, if challenged, would likely not hold up in court. PEN America and the American Library Association sent letters urging to board to preserve students' access to Tango. On 12/15/08 the Ankeny school board voted 6 to 1 to keep the book in general circulation.[16][17] In Chico, California, a school committee formed of parents, teachers, librarians and school administrators, voted unanimously to retain the book on the shelves of the Chico Unified School District libraries following the complaints of three parents that the book was unsuitable for young children.[18][19]

[edit] Freedom of speech precedents

In October 2008, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent an advisory letter to the Calvert County, MD Board of Library Trustees, at the time facing a challenge to And Tango Makes Three, explaining that unrestricted access to the book in public libraries is protected freedom of speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.[20] The ACLU cited numerous judicial opinions supporting this view. Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982): The Court found that, “Our Constitution does not permit the suppression of ideas.” According to the ACLU "The constitutional right to freedom of speech prohibits any attempt by government officials to suppress ideas or information, whether directly through criminal sanctions or 'prior restraints,' or indirectly through political interference with the professional choices made by librarians." Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844 (1997) and Kreimer v. Bureau of Police, 958 F.2d 1242, 1255 (3d Cir.1992). According to the ACLU, "Like the right to express oneself freely, the right to receive information and ideas is protected by the First Amendment. These precepts apply with particular force to public libraries," deemed by the 3rd Circuit Court to be "the quintessential locus of the receipt of information.” Sund v. City of Wichita Falls, 121 F. Supp. 2d 530 (N.D. Texas 2000. According to the ACLU, "Whether those seeking to remove books from the library wish to do so completely or merely to sequester or segregate the challenged books, the courts have held such censorship unconstitutional." In the Wichita Falls case cited, the Federal Court found unconstitutional a local resolution removing two controversial children’s books from children’s section of public library and placing them in and adult section stating that those looking for the books and those browsing will be unable to locate them. The Court further found "[I]f a parent wishes to prevent her child from reading a particular book, that parent can and should accompany the child to the Library, and should not prevent all children in the community from gaining access to constitutionally protected materials. Where First Amendment rights are concerned, those seeking to restrict access to information should be forced to take affirmative steps to shield themselves from unwanted materials; the onus should not be on the general public to overcome barriers to their access to fully protected information."

[edit] Editions

[edit] Awards and nominations

National book awards
Awards from children's groups
  • Living the Dream Book Award - 2007 - given by the fifth graders of Manhattan Country School, Children's Workshop School, and Central Park East II[23]
  • Sheffield Children's Book Award - shortlisted - 2008[24]

[edit] See also

Children and Young Adult Literature portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Attempts to remove children’s book on male penguin couple parenting chick continue". American Library Association. 2009-04-16. http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/april2009/nlw08bbtopten.cfm&ContentID=151926. Retrieved on 2009-04-20. 
  2. ^ a b c Smith, Dinitia (February 7 2004). "Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C1EF83A5F0C748CDDAB0894DC404482. Retrieved on 2007-09-10. 
  3. ^ a b Harris, Paul (2006-11-19). "Flap over a tale of gay penguins". The Observer. http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,1951970,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  4. ^ "Homosexuality in the Middle Ages" by Warren Johansson and William A. Percy; Encyclopedia of Homosexuality; accessed 5 April 2009.
  5. ^ Solimeo, Luiz Sérgio (21 September 2004). "The Animal Homosexuality Myth". NARTH, National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality. http://www.narth.com/docs/animalmyth.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-10. 
  6. ^ Solimeo, Luiz Sérgio (2004, ISBN 187790533X). "Defending A Higher Law: Why We Must Resist Same-Sex "Marriage" and the Homosexual Movement". Spring Grove, Penn.: The American TFP. http://www.narth.com/docs/animalmyth.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-10. 
  7. ^ Suhr, Jim (2006-11-16). "Parents want gay penguins book blocked". The Boston Globe (Associated Press). http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2006/11/16/parents_want_gay_penguins_book_blocked/?p1=MEWell_Pos1. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  8. ^ "Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools". The Boston Globe (Mcclatchy Newspapers). 2006-12-20. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/12/20/schools_chief_bans_book_on_penguins/. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  9. ^ "Attempts to remove children’s book on male penguin couple parenting chick continue". American Library Association. 2009-04-16. http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/april2009/nlw08bbtopten.cfm&ContentID=151926. Retrieved on 2009-04-20. 
  10. ^ Erica Garman (2008-02-11). "Where's Tango?". Washington_Post_Company. http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/blogs/living-loco/2008/feb/11/wheres-tango/. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. 
  11. ^ Michael Alison Chandler (2008-02-17). "Two Guys and a Chick Set Off Tiff Over School Library Policy". Washington_Post_Company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/16/AR2008021602213.html?referrer=emailarticle. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  12. ^ ""And Tango Makes Three" Decision Voided". 2008-03-03. http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/509759161361/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=474407&C=82592. Retrieved on 2008-03-09. 
  13. ^ "New Love Breaks Up a 6-Year Relationship at the Zoo". 2008-09-24. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/24/nyregion/24penguins.hltm. Retrieved on 2008-10-15. 
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NY Times 9/24/2005 by Jonathan Miller

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