Book Reviews: And Tango Makes Three

A Review of And Tango Makes Three
By LeeAnn Sergeant

Richardson, Justin & Parnell, Peter. And Tango Makes Three. Illustrated by Henry Cole. Simon & Schuster, 2005. 32 pages. Tr. $15.99, ISBN 0-689-87845-1.

It takes a lot of love to create a family. One can see this not only in the creation and maintenance of human families, but in the animal world as well. And Tango Makes Three shows the love it takes to make a family through the experience of some unique penguins at the Central Park Zoo.

Richardson and Parnell will take you on a journey of how the zoo penguins find a partner and make a family. A couple of particular penguins caught the eye of the zookeeper. The two boy penguins did not find a girl penguin to create a family with. Instead, they found each other. With the aid of the zookeeper, these two penguins were able to make a family just like all of the other penguin couples at the zoo.

The illustrations of this book could very well stand on their own and still tell the story. But the relationship between the written words and the illustrations creates a simple, yet charming and distinctive story about family love. And Tango Makes Three is a heart-warming, yet somewhat controversial tale that can also be used as a teaching tool to open up discussion with a child about homosexuality, or simply about the love required to create a family. The story can also stand on its own as a touching tale about the penguins of Central Park Zoo.

The publishers recommend And Tango Makes Three for ages four to eight. This reviewer would encourage libraries to add this book to their collection and make it available for anyone of any age who desires an excellent story about family love.