Gay Penquin book gets chilly reception

[smelter]

New York City gay penquins corrupting school children ....

Gay Penguin Book Shakes Up Ill. School

By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer

SHILOH, Ill. - A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children _ and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

The concerns are the latest involving "And Tango Makes Three," the illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo that adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own.

Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents of Shiloh Elementary School students believe the book _ available to be checked out of the school's library in this 11,000-resident town 20 miles east of St. Louis _ tackles topics their children aren't ready to handle.

Their request: Move the book to the library's regular shelves and restrict it to a section for mature issues, perhaps even requiring parental permission before a child can check it out.

For now, "And Tango Makes Three" will stay put, said school district Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw, though a panel she appointed suggested the book be moved and require parental permission to be checked out. The district's attorney said moving it might be construed as censorship.
Filyaw considers the book "adorable" and age appropriate, written for children ages 4 to 8.

"My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population," she said. "It means you represent different families in a society _ different religions, different beliefs."

Lilly Del Pinto thought the book looked charming when her 5-year-old daughter brought it home in September. Del Pinto said she was halfway through reading it to her daughter "when the zookeeper said the two penguins must be in love."

"That's when I ended the story," she said.

Del Pinto said her daughter's teacher told her she was unfamiliar with the book, and the school's librarian directed the mother to Filyaw.
"I wasn't armed with pitchforks or anything. I innocently was seeking answers," Del Pinto said, agreeing with Filyaw's belief that pulling the book from the shelves could constitute censorship.

The book has created similar flaps elsewhere. Earlier this year, two parents voiced concerns about the book with librarians at the Rolling Hills' Consolidated Library's branch in the northwest Missouri town of Savannah.

Barbara Read, Rolling Hills' director, has said she consulted with staff members at the Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City zoos and the University of Oklahoma's zoology department, who told her adoptions aren't unusual in the world of penguins.

She said the book was then moved to the nonfiction section because it was based on actual events. In that section, she said, there was less of a chance that the book would "blindside" someone.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

[trawler69]

It sounds as if it just illustrates that any two beings can work together to achieve a happy youngster. The Pinto woman was fine with it until she reached the bit where the zoo keeper said they must be in love. What an excellent way to teach tollerance from a young age using "cute" animals. (Note I hate the word cute). I think the book should be used as a teaching aid.

 

[evilest]

America also tried to ban 'Gay friendly' Teletubbies and Pingu. Maybe the solution to right wing nut jobs worrying about their children is to castrate the fuckers in the first place...

 

[Croynan]

A lovely, plain, simple children's book that can teach a young child so much in so many constructive and positive ways, and we adults have to ruin it for the children.

Shame on them. Their children should hold them accountable for their actions.

My guess would be, just a guess of course, that if a test study was made of children just picking up and or receiving the said book on their own vs. adults interferring in anyway with them seeing the book, the children in contact with the adults whould have more problems with the said book and other issues besides then those children who were not disturbed in any way.

Has anyone ever figured out what the true purposes of adults really are?

Pardon me while i go back and get my teddy bear said the local village idiot as he left the room..

eM.

 

[Hawkman]

These right-wing freakazoids are so obsessed with homosexuality it's a joke.

If you wrote a book about two rocks that raised a pebble they'd say it has a gay theme.

I wonder how many of them are leading lives like Pastor Ted Haggard?

 

[Christopher123]

SHILOH, Ill. - A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children _ and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

 

[RationalLunacy]

It's about time someone stopped the recruiting of schoolchildren, trying to turn them into penguins.

 

[Croynan]

It's about time someone stopped the recruiting of schoolchildren, trying to turn them into penguins.

I just ordered the book from amazon. com and another one called Jack and Jim - they looked like fun reading. The illustrations are just wonderful.

Leave it to a children's book to bring joy into the world. All adults should be required to read children's books so they could learn a few things about themselves and others.

And a side note here - t.v. watch. Nova on PBS the other night did a fascinating documentary on penguins from all over the world. Check your local listings. It is so enjoyable - another March of the Penguins but on a larger scale.

eM.

 

[slobone]

Is this one a them Penguin Classics I heared about?

 

[Theyoungman]

hmm. Uh oh.

 

[RenaissanceMan]

Of course no one ever minded the violence in such wholesome classics as Little Red Riding Hood, but some of them don't like a love story, especially not a family story.

 

[sparky95]

How can you actually tell if a penguin is male or not anyway?

 

[mike_n_herrin]

/\ it's a bit hard you have to to a cloaca exam.

 

[Roland00]

Poor, Roy and Silo . They just don't seem to ever catch a break for having "family values".

Poor Roy seperated from his partner by those bigoted zookeepers. I have no pity for Silo though, he has join the dark side You don't abandon your man when the going gets tough !!!

 

[Roland00]

​

Meh! The Zookeepers didn't separate them. Silo took off with that tramp Scrappy on his own.

What the media never reported though, and I've mentioned this several times in other penguin topics, is that after a few weeks Silo returned to Roy. I think after so many years together, Roy didn't have a problem forgiving him for a brief indescretion.

Got a news story?

 

[Roland00]

Well the current wikipedia article mentions nothing about them getting back together.

With a political subject such as this I don't really trust wikipedia without a source link.

 

[Roland00]

The "Roy and Silo" stub mentions the breakup but nothing else.

Roy and Silo are a penguin couple at the New York Aquarium. They were found to be trying to hatch a rock. The zookeepers then noticed they were both boys. It occurred to them to give them the extra egg of a boy/girl penguin couple, since they were having to incubate it. Penguins can only care for one young at a time, and the parents had abandoned one of their two eggs. This egg was given to Roy and Silo to care for, instead of their rock. The chicklet was named Tango. Their story is the basis for the children's book And Tango Makes Three.

Tango is now a healthy young female penguin. She's not yet formed a long-term relationship but is socializing.

Roy and Silo separated last year with Roy remaining single. Silo found another partner, a female called Scrappy

That's why I've been contacting the zoo trying to get confirmation.

Which of course they aren't going to answer for they are tired of the media attention only for the fact that its political. I bet they got tired of all the questions, letters and phone calls.

 

[Roland00]

I hoped Silo returned, only to see that Roy picked himself up and met Steve. Steve who doesn't two time with his beak

 

[smelter]

Well no wonder there's such outrage.

Look at page 8!!!!

Penquins doing it doggy style ....... no wonder the parents and people who hold positions in Missionarys are upset!

 

[Leidian]

I don't remember if it was the couple in New York or not - but I saw on Bravo the other the day that there is a gay penguin couple that has been together for 8 years monogamously. The zoo-keeper guy said they had the best nest and all the other penguins tried to steal it, haha.

Moving a children's love-story picture book to the mature section with the "Backdoor Betty" films is a bit ridic.