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And Tango Makes Three Hardcover – Picture Book, June 1, 2005
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Justin Richardson
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Peter Parnell
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At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo get the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.
Selected as an ALA Notable Children’s Book Nominee and a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, “this joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library” (School Library Journal, starred review).
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Reading age4 - 8 years
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Print length32 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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Grade levelPreschool - 3
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Lexile measureAD520L
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Dimensions11 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
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PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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Publication dateJune 1, 2005
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ISBN-100689878451
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ISBN-13978-0689878459
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
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From Booklist
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"This wonderful story of devotion is heartwarming proof that Mother Nature knows best." -- Harvey Fierstein
"Charming! And Tango Makes Three proves that all kinds of love can create a family." -- Wendy Wasserstein
"A little miracle for children. Funny, tender, and true, the story of Tango will delight young readers and open their minds." -- John Lithgow
*"Cole's pictures complement the perfectly cadenced text...Those who share this with children will find themselves returning to it again and again...for the two irresistible birds at its center and for the celebration of patient, loving fathers who 'knew just what to do.'" ― Booklist, starred review
*"[A] hearwarming tale. Older readers will most appreciate the...larger theme of tolerance at work in this touching tale." ― Publishers Weekly, starred review
*"This joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library." ― School Library Journal, starred review
*"In this true, straightforwardly (so to speak) delivered tale, two male chinstrap penguins at New York City's Central Park Zoo bond, build a nest and--thanks to a helping hand from an observant zookeeper--hatch and raise a penguin chick...Readers may find its theme of acecptance even more convincing for being delivered in such a matter of fact, non-preachy way." ― Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A charming and adorable story that proves love isn't confined by a set of rules of what's right or wrong. Love is Love.” ― Nathan Lane & Devlin Elliot
"While this could introduce a discussion about various kinds of families, it's also a cheerful and endearing animal story that should please any aficionado of the zoo's penguin enclosure." ― BCCB
"Tango Makes Three rises above the message it carries and becomes the rarest of birds, a 'message book' that's also a really good story." ― NYTBR
About the Author
Peter Parnell is the coauthor, with Justin Richardson, of And Tango Makes Three. He is a playwright whose plays have been produced at the Public Theater and Playwrights Horizons in New York City, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and the Seattle Repertory Company, among others. His play QED was produced on Broadway. He has written extensively for television as a producer for both The West Wing and The Guardian; he has also written episodes of Maurice Sendak’s series Little Bear. He lives in New York City.
Henry Cole has written and illustrated more than 150 books for children, including Spot, the Cat; And Tango Makes Three; Oink?; and Little Bo in France. He is also the illustrator of With a Little Help from My Friends by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A former elementary school teacher, he now writes and paints full time.
Product details
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (June 1, 2005)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 32 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0689878451
- ISBN-13 : 978-0689878459
- Reading age : 4 - 8 years
- Lexile measure : AD520L
- Grade level : Preschool - 3
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 11 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#202,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #182 in Children's Adoption Books (Books)
- #240 in Children's Zoo Books (Books)
- #785 in Children's Bird Books (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the authors

Justin Richardson, MD, is the coauthor, with Peter Parnell, of the award-winning picture book And Tango Makes Three. Dr. Richardson is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia and Cornell and the coauthor of Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They’d Ask). Dr. Richardson and his advice have been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, on the Today show and NPR’s Morning Edition, and in numerous magazines. Dr. Richardson lectures to parents and teachers on parenting and the sexual development of children.

Peter Parnell is the co-author with Justin Richardson of The Lion Who Hugged and And Tango Makes Three. He is a playwright whose play QED was produced on Broadway. He was a co-producer of the television show The West Wing. He lives in New York City.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It's the only thing that there's just too little of.
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone!
The simplicity of the words husband and husband team Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell have used to tell the true story of a couple of male chinstrap penguins (Roy and Silo) at New York's Central Park Zoo, who had paired off as a couple and were given an extra fertilized egg to hatch on their way to becoming a family unlike any of the zoo's other animal families (but a family nonetheless!), makes this book a perfect way to begin naturally introducing the concepts of acceptance and inclusion to youngsters. The soft illustrations by Henry Cole are such a nice complement to the story - I'm really looking forward to sharing this special book with our four grandchildren, who will most certainly be meeting many families of varying composition during their lifetimes! The way baby Tango and his dads are welcomed by the children coming to see them after his birth is a good "footprint in the sand" to leave on a child's growing sense of the world around them.
I'm a dozen years late in my personal discovery of the book, so I missed the brouhaha surrounding its 2005 publication, having appeared on the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom's "Top Ten Most Challenged Book List" from 2006-2010, reappearing in 2012, and - sadly - again as late as 2014. This is such a gentle book, and to imagine literature that celebrates the love and devotion of parents would ever appear on such a list is disheartening. This is a sweet book that talks of the desire to share a home and a family (I'll type the text in the comment section below for parents/grandparents to read for themselves if they're on the fence about the book.) The younger of my two sons is gay, has been in a committed and happy relationship with his partner for seven years, and should they eventually marry and decide to begin a family, it would be so painful to the heart of this mother to see his family shunned or ridiculed. I hope the authors have not experienced it since the birth of their own daughter, little Gemma, whom I suppose is about 8 years old now and feeling very loved and secure.
Children are drawn to books about animals, there aren't too many animals cuter or funnier than penguins, and if you're a parent or grandparent who's searching for ways to begin opening your child's mind to the concept of the different types of families they'll encounter (or may be a part of!) along life's journey, as I myself have been, I think "And Tango Makes Three" is a nice place to start.
It's a lovely look and I hope you and your children can enjoy this book together.
Top reviews from other countries
The story is sweet, as are the drawings, and the book has a great message. It's given us a great conversation starter to talk about how families are all different shapes and sizes 👍
It was bought as a Christmas gift for a child, but all of the adults gave it a read and there were more than a few eyes being dabbed when they finished.
When it comes to LGBT+ books this is an essential addition to any library and is definitely set to become a firm favourite in our house.










