Children's book about two male penguins who adopt and raise a baby penguin upsets parents
A picture book about two male penguins adopting and raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents in Shiloh, Illinois who worry about the book's availability to Shiloh Elementary School students-and the reluctance of administrators to restrict access to it. The book, And Tango Makes Three, is based on the true story from New York City's Central Park Zoo. Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents believe the book tackles topics their young 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 their child can check it out. Though a parent panel she appointed suggested the library move the book and require parental permission before it is checked out, Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw says the book will stay put-at the advice of the district’s attorney, who says moving it might be legally challengeable censorship. "My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population," she says. "It means you represent different families in a society-different religions, different beliefs. That's the role of a school library."
Parent Lilly Del Pinto says she was jarred about halfway through reading the book to her daughter "when the zookeeper said the two penguins must be in love." Her daughter's teacher told her she was unfamiliar with the book, and the school's librarian directed her to Ms. Filyaw. "I wasn't armed with pitchforks or anything. I innocently was seeking answers," Ms. Del Pinto says, agreeing with Ms. Filyaw's belief that pulling the book from the shelves could constitute censorship. "I've not spoken with anyone who says to get rid of it," she says. "Of course, we know the kids eventually are going to learn about the homosexual lifestyle. That's not the issue. Please let us decide when our kids are ready. Please let us parent our kids." "We certainly don't want to discriminate or hurt anyone," adds Christine Farmer, the mother of two Shiloh Elementary students and the parental representative on the five-person panel Ms. Filyaw tapped to examine how to handle the book. The panel's recommendation, she says, "was to put this in the parents' lap and let them decide" the book's appropriateness for their children. The book has created similar flaps elsewhere. Earlier this year, two Missouri library branches moved the book to the nonfiction section after parents raised concerns. In that section, a librarian explained, there was less of a chance that the book would "blindside" someone.
Boston Globe
By Jim Suhr (Associated Press)
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[Editor’s Note: The NSBA resource below includes a discussion of library considerations and school board policies.]
[Inside School Law on curriculum controversies]