SuitabookAnd Tango Makes Three
Justin Richardson
- Reading
- Read it together and pause around the egg, Tango’s arrival and the family scenes. Let the child describe what they notice before discussing how families can differ and what zoos owe animals.
- Themes
- Family and belonging: Roy and Silo form a couple, raise Tango and are presented as a family despite differing from other penguin couples. The story treats love, care and shared parenting as meaningful foundations for family.
- Difference and acceptance: Roy and Silo are described as different from other penguin couples, while zookeepers help them become parents. Their relationship and parenting are presented warmly, with acceptance and support from others.
- Animals and freedom: The penguins live at a zoo, where people visit them and a keeper assists Roy and Silo with raising Tango. The book does not clearly resolve its stance on this.
- Worth knowing
- Some families may want to prepare for discussion of a same-sex couple and adoption. The wider zoo setting also creates an opportunity to consider whether keeping animals in captivity is fair.