And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, Illustrated by Henry Cole

And Tango Makes Three emerges as one of the most controversial and banned books in recent years. Yet, amidst this controversy comes a delightful children's story about a non-stereotypical family who love each other full-heartedly. Based on a true story at Central Park Zoo, Roy and Silo are two male, chinstrap penguins who find each other as companions. They do everything together, from swimming, to singing, to bowing, to winding their necks around one another. Ray and Silo, noticing the male and female penguin couples, build their own nest of rocks. One day, the zookeeper, Mr. Gramzay, places an extra egg on Roy and Silo's nest, and Roy and Silo begin to meticulously care for their small egg until it hatches. Mr. Gramzay names the new baby Tango "becauseit takes two to make a Tango." Tango is the first penguin in the zoo to have two daddies. As a family, they interacted with each other by day and snuggled together by night.

While I personally enjoyed this true story, widespread banning of And Tango Makes Three has occurred. Due to the homosexual undertones of this story, parents worry about their children being exposed to such a books, thinking that their children are not mature enough to handle the "adult content." In Shiloh, IL, for example, parents wanted the book moved to a restricted section that requires parent's permission to check out this book. Focus on the Family, religious organization, has also intervened saying that this book promotes a homosexual lifestyle. In addition, concerns about homosexual animals and adoption by same-sex parents have been raised.

While I can see where these arguments are coming from, I personally feel that this book details a moving animal story that shows that animals do have caring and emotional instincts. Diversity needs to be considered as a topic in the classroom. Besides race, this also includes gender, social class, and sexual orientation. This book can serve as a way to introduce the idea of sexual orientation into the classroom, or more simply, teacher and students can discuss the different types of families there are whether same-sex, divorced, single parents, or grandparents. Students come from all types of homes, and it is not fair to acknowledge and honor "the norm" over another.

The question really centers around when are children ready for information about homosexual relationships? Protecting children does little to form well-rounded citizens. As discussed in Human Relations for the elementary teacher, children are often open-minded at a young age to ideals of equality, liberty, and justice as it relates to treating everyone fairly. Discrimination and prejudice result without proper education. As a future teacher, I believe that I have a responsibility not only to provide students with academic knowledge but also social and emotional knowledge that will benefit them in the future. By offering this type of education, children can decide for themselves about their personal views and beliefs in regards to topics such as homosexuality. Breaking stereotypes and exploring relationships can result by reading this book. Love comes in all shapes and sizes and in all forms.