Banned Books Week Book Review
Today marks the end of Banned Books Week. Over the past few days the University of South Florida Polytechnic in Lakeland hosted a series of events including readings by various staff and students.
USFP Library Specialist Amy VanMiddlesworth read during Banned Books Read Out Day at USFP
Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met. – USFP Library Blog
Dr. Ruth Sylvester led a discussion of the children’s book And Tango Makes Three. What follows is her review of the book…
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole looks like a typical children’s picture book – 32 pages, beautiful illustrations, and just enough text to tell the story.
When the reader turns to the back cover to read comments by reviewers, he gets the first hint that this is not a typical children’s book after all. All four reviewers either subtly or more directly share a common thread – same-sex family – thus the reason for it making the banned book list.
The book is based on a true story of Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins originally from the Antarctic region but now living in New York’s Central Park Zoo. The zookeeper determines they “must be in love” because they hang together. After Roy and Silo imitate the nesting behaviors of male/female couples, such as building a nest of rocks and pebbles and rolling a stone into the nest and brooding it, the zookeeper gives Roy and Silo an actual egg from another couple to sit on.
For several weeks Roy and Silo take turns keeping the egg warm. When the chick finally hatches, the zookeeper names her Tango because “it takes two to make a Tango.” Roy and Silo feed her and eventually take her swimming with other penguins. The story ends with Roy, Silo, and Tango snuggling peacefully in the penguin house and “just like all the families in the big city around them, they went to sleep.”
Since the book was published in 2005, Silo is now hanging with Scrappy, a new female penguin who has recently arrived from the San Diego Zoo.
While this book might support the worldview of some individuals, others might find it objectionable. In a public school library setting, educators need to consider the diversity of children and families who peruse our bookshelves.
Dr. Ruth Sylvester is an assistant professor, Childhood Education and Literacy Studies, from the College of Human and Social Sciences at the University of South Florida Polytechnic.
Reading photos credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local
Sylvester photo credit: Catherine Lavallee-Welch for Lakeland Local
Editor’s Note: Lavallee-Welch is the spouse of Lakeland Local publisher Chuck Welch.
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I can certainly appreciate Banned Books week desire to allow for contrarian voices to be heard. I am grateful that we have some wisdom being applied to keep certain books out of schools. Banned Books week seems to be the appropriate setting for this cute, unorthodox book.
I can certainly appreciate Banned Books week desire to allow for contrarian voices to be heard. I am grateful that we have some wisdom being applied to keep certain books out of schools. Banned Books week seems to be the appropriate setting for this cute, unorthodox book.