And Tango Makes Three

by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (Illustrator)

Overview

And Tango Makes Three is the bestselling, heartwarming true story of two penguins who create a nontraditional family.

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).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689878459
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	06/01/2005
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.38(w) x 8.84(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

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 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 fifty books for children, including Big Bug, And Tango Makes Three, Oink?, and Little Bo in France. A former elementary school teacher, he now writes and paints full time.

Editorial Reviews

"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

"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

"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

*"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.'"

starred review Booklist

"A little miracle for children. Funny, tender, and true, the story of Tango will delight young readers and open their minds."

John Lithgow

"Charming! And Tango Makes Three proves that all kinds of love can create a family."

Wendy Wasserstein

"This wonderful story of devotion is heartwarming proof that Mother Nature knows best."

Harvey Fierstein

"A touching and delightful variation on a major theme."

Maurice Sendak

"A touching and delightful variation on a major theme."
--Maurice Sendak

"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

From the Publisher

07/01/2015
Toddler/PreS—It's been a decade since Richardson, Parnell, and Cole told the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who became inseparable. When zookeepers gave the pair a motherless egg, they successfully hatched baby Tango. Commemorating the book's 10-year anniversary, this edition gives even younger readers the opportunity to enjoy this pioneering picture book, which was among the first to offer an example of a same-sex family.

School Library Journal