and tango makes three

Richardson, J. & Parnell, P. (2005). and tango makes three. Illustrated by Henry Cole. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Brief Annotation: This is the story of Roy and Silo, two penguins in the Central Park Zoo. This story is based off of true life examples and is a beautiful story of family and love. Roy and Silo are very best friends and they do everything that the other penguin couples do. They swim together, sing together and bow to each other. They realize that the other penguins are able to sit on rocks and eggs and babies hatch! Roy and Silo wanted a family too, so they sit on a rock but nothing happens. Then, the zookeeper brings and egg (one that needed a home) and gives it to Roy and Silo. The egg hatches and they name their new chick Tango! They create a family and do everything together, showing how wonderful every type of family can be.

Genre: Picturebook

Grade Level: Pre-K to 3rd Grade

Readers who will like this: This book is a wonderful example of love and family. Readers who enjoy cute stories and beautiful pictures will enjoy this book. It is a fairly easy read, so young readers should be able to work their way through it, and older readers will enjoy it too. It would be a great book to read to students if there was a lesson about sexuality and homosexuality, or all types of family units.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, and tango makes three is a truly wonderful book! This sweet story is a classic example of what makes a family..and that is it's all about love. Roy and Silo become great parents to a baby who needs a family, and they love one another dearly. The fact that this is based on a real story makes it all the better, and it's a story that I hope can be shared by everyone.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: “ What makes up a family?”