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Below are the responses I received on my posting about the book And Tango Makes Three. I'm still in a bit of a quandary, but do so appreciate the feedback from you all. And I apologize in advance if those annoying "=20" things appear at the end of some sentences. Kathie Turner Librarian (K-5) Warwick Valley School District Warwick, NY HIT: We have the Tango book in one of our 1-2-3 schools. We shelve it and circulate it as any other book. I would not feature it or read it aloud to a class, but we have told our counselor about it to let her know just in case she needs a book with that particular theme for any reason. So far, no problems have occurred. I'm just holding my breath... In my library, it would probably get read more if I put it in non-fiction. So I put it in with the picture books. And almost immediately had a complaint from a set of religiously conservative parents whose son checked it out and who don't believe in alternative lifestyles and felt it was propaganda. Thankfully, they did not want to have it pulled or deal with it on a school wide level. SO I flagged their son's circ record and we check his books for content that they determined was appropriate. Several staff members have checked it out and it hasn't been back in students' hands in a while. It is a great little story but I can see that we will probably have trouble again as our religious right is very outspoken and strong in this region. However, I will put it back on the shelf and hope for the best. ________________________________ Hi, Kathleen: I think what makes this book 100% acceptable in all libraries is the postscript by the author, which states that it is absolutely based on true events at the zoo. It's not just an allegory about acceptance of gay families. I would share it with groups if we were doing a unit on families, zoo life, animal babies, or something else relevant. I wouldn't read it to groups as a 'just because' stand- alone, with no discussion or reason. Hope that helps! _______________________________________________________________________ it's funny -- I am having my sub read it tomorrow. We do have two families in the school that fit this kind of profile, so it is a good opportunity to just read the story in a very realistic way.... this is life. _______________________________________________________________________ We have it. While it has not been read in the library we might do so since we have at least two children who are from same sex families. _________________________________________________________________________ I have it in my little library. I will not feature it - feel slightly uncomfortable with it as I know there are some parents in this conservative part of the world that would not like the book. It would be interesting to see a posting on this if you have time. Good luck _____________________________________________________________________________-- Kathleen: I, too, love the story, but it is sitting on my desk. I suppose I am afraid of challenges. Please share the responses you receive on content and also, where to catalog it. _________________________________________________________________________________ Kathleen- After some soul searching I ordered the book last Fall. I have a student who has 2 Moms and they are plaintiffs in a case suing NJ for the right to marry. He's in First grade and very upfront about his family situation. As a Kindergartener he corrected the teacher when she spoke of families being composed of a Mom & Dad and kids, or a grandparent and kids. His Moms are lovely women and have done a great job raising him and his younger sister. His friends are all aware of his domestic situation. Anyway I learned of the book in the NY Times Book Review. I ordered it and enjoyed it. I shared it with my principal who saw no problem adding it to the collection. I let the boy's Moms know that I had the book and asked if they wanted him to read it. They did and he enjoyed the book. I had read that some conservative groups were complaining that the real penguins had "split up" and this was proof of the un-naturalness of this relationship. So I contacted a public relations person at the Children's Zoo in Central Park who confirmed that fact. However she said that it was normal for a couple who had not raised their own chicks to seek other mates. She also said that all 3 penguins live happily today in the zoo. I would not read it to a group but see no problem in letting kids take it out. I do not keep it in my Non Fiction section because my school is K-3 now and I don't think it would circulate there. I view the book as one that relates those odd little quirks about animals. Others that come to mind are KoKo's Kitten and Make Way for Ducklings. __________________________________________________________________________________ I think it's a darling book. It IS nonfiction, so that's where it will be shelved in my k-5 library. ________________________________________________________________________________________ I placed it in my Easy section, removed the subject heading homosexuality, and have had no problem. Kids just see it as a penguin book. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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