School Moves Book About Penguin with 2 Dads

A children's book about penguins was moved from general circulation to a teacher's reference shelf at elementary schools in Loudoun County after a parent complained.

The award-winning book, "And Tango Makes Three," tells the true story of two male Chinstrap Penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo who raised an egg together.

It was first thought the book was pulled from the school system altogether, but Wayde Byard, public information officer for Loudoun County Public Schools, says there was no county-wide ban of the book.

"It was moved to the teacher's reference shelf only at the elementary school level. It is still in general circulation at the middle and high schools."

Byard says the elementary school level has the greatest range of ages, from Kindergarten to 5th grade.

"Developmentally, some students in the younger grades might not have been able to understand this without having an adult, such as a teacher, parent or guardian reading it with them. So we recommended that this would be a book that a child read with an adult so it can be put in context."

The book remains in 16 Loudoun County elementary schools, two high schools and one middle school.

"And Tango Makes Three," written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson was released in 2005. In 2006 it was named an American Library Association Notable Children's Book.

In the book, male penguins Roy and Silo team up to care for another pair's egg. As a family, they hatch and raise a chick named 'Tango.'

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