And Tango Makes Three

Out of all the controversial books I read today, this one was my favorite. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, did a great job discussing the issue of homosexuality for children. The authors use two penguins at a zoo (based on a true story-how cool!) to explain the story of two male penguins doing all activities together and sleeping together. He even makes a reference to puberty by discussing how there becomes a time in everyone’s life where males and females begin to be partners and “sleep” together. The two male characters in the story care for an egg they find and eventually have a son, Tango.
Parnell and Richardson do wonderful job explaining homosexuality in simple terms for young children. Obviously this is a very controversial topic and one that is not easy to talk about as a teacher, but I feel this would be a great guide for a teacher to perhaps talk about homosexuality in a classroom. This especially goes for those students who have gay parents or know anyone close to them that is gay. It’s a great way to make them feel included and that families don’t always consist of a mom and dad.