🟢 Book Review: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnel
- Oct 1, 2025
- 2 min read
RATING: 🟢 Recommended
REVIEWER: Ethan Graftin
REVIEW METHODOLOGY: Louise Derman-Spark's Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books from the Social Justice Books Project, Teaching for Change
And Tango Makes Three, written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole, is a book following the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins living in the Central Park Zoo, Roy and Silo, who successfully raise a chick on their own after being given an egg from their keeper. While the book has almost no human characters, I still found myself incredibly engaged with the story, and that’s because the story itself is very human. It’s a story about the growth of a new family, shown through Silo and Roy raising a penguin chick.
The story’s overall message is that family units come in multiple forms, but that doesn’t make them wrong. The last line in this book puts it perfectly: “There they snuggled together and, like all the other animals in the zoo, and all the families in the big city around them, they went to sleep.” Tango’s family functions just as well as the other families they’re surrounded by; the “traditional” family doesn’t function better than Tango’s because it’s “the norm”, all families function as well as each other through the bond and love each member has for each other.
The artwork is cozy, and without going too far into the cartoonish, the art allows for some personifying of the penguins through facial expressions like smiles and excitement. The book is at a green light, and deserves to be on bookshelves for students to access. This is a real story that’s both charming and human, showing young readers that while a family may look different from their own, they are still just as capable and happy. What resonates with me about this book is how a story like this warrants a ban, because this story deserves to be shared. Children come from so many different backgrounds and familial units, and this book essentially tells them that their family is perfect, as is every other family. A reader with a “traditional” family can read this and gain a better understanding or appreciation for a family that looks different from theirs, while a reader from a family that’s “different from the norm” can read this book and become more confident and proud.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
REVIEWER BIO: Ethan Grafton was a student at Portland State University and took Zapoura Newton-Calvert's Social Justice in K12 Curriculum course. Their volunteer work was a partnership with Reading Is Resistance and the Social Justice Books Project from Teaching for Change.
Я не одразу довіряю новим сайтам, тому спочатку читаю відгуки. Так було і з 2к украина. Знайшов багато інформації в блогах, після чого вирішив протестувати. Найбільше сподобалося, що все запускається швидко. Без зайвих кроків. Ігри різноманітні, є як знайомі варіанти, так і щось нове. В цілому — нормальний варіант для тих, хто цінує швидкість і простоту.
This was a thoughtful and engaging review of And Tango Makes Three, highlighting how a simple story about two penguins can carry such a meaningful message about love, family, and acceptance. The fact that it’s based on a true story makes it even more impactful, showing that families can come in different forms while still sharing the same care and connection. Reading reflections like this can also be a good option for students thinking about what to do when bored in class, as it encourages both critical thinking and empathy through storytelling. I’ve also seen similar clear and structured discussions of ideas through Native Assignment Help, where complex themes are explained in a simple and relatable way.