Most Challenged Book of 2006…quick, what was it?
One of the Harry Potter books?
No.
Something from the His Dark Materials Trilogy?
No.
Animal Farm? The Anarchist’s Cookbook? The Color Purple? Catch 22?
No. No. No. No.
The cover of the Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson's award-winning/much maligned children's book.
and tango makes three (ATMT) is an illustrated children’s book based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins from New York’s Central Park Zoo who adopted a fertalized egg and raised the chick as their own. It is the recipient of several national book awards, including being named by the American Library Association as one of the Notable Children’s Books of 2006. ATMT also happens to top another one of ALA’s lists for 2006: it’s list of most challenged books. But that’s not all, folks. It’s “controversial” subject matter also earned it the number one spot in ALA’s list of Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2007.
Thanks to the fact that both Roy and Shilo are male penguins, the book has garnered scorn from homophobes worldwide and has been challenged by “concerned parents” around the country. Some of the most notable challenges include:
- On December 20, 2006, Peter Gorman, the superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, NC, ordered it removed from all school libraries (sidestepping the district’s rule on book banning).
- Parents in Shiloh, Illinois complained about the book’s “homosexual undertones” and requested that the book be moved to a restricted section of the library.
- In 2008, the Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Dr. Edgar B Hatrick, removed ATMT from general circulation at the public school libraries, overriding the decision of at least one school principal (the book was subsequently returned to the shelves when Hatrick admitted that he had made several procederal errors in the process).
- “…why must authors and publishers alike push their gay activism and disguise it for children? What a sad, sad concoction. Children don’t need this in any form. Protect them.” – Dahlia O’neil
- “As a Christian parent I will not read this to my children. It goes against everything the Word of God speaks of. Homosexuality is not o.k. Sodom and Gommorah are good examples of God’s wrath and Satan’s influence. Romans 1:27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, (men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” – V. Sullivan “Christian Mama”
- “…The book has one purpose – to advocate homosexual adoption…” – J. Fox
- “Roy and Silo, the two penguins used, as the “inspiration” for this bogus tale are not homosexual penguins. The moment Silo was introduced to “Scrappy” the female penguin he took off with her.” – Maloney Sing “Maloney”
Watch Samantha Bee’s excellent reporting on this issue.
Yeah… this doesn’t surprise me. I love the lady who was so against this book being read to her children and then followed with a lecture about God’s fiery wrath, ’cause that’s SO much better.
[...] haven’t actually read And Tango Makes Three, but based on this review at SHUmanities, it seems like an important book; I’m going to get it for my [...]