The back of this book says that it was based on a true story, but what they do not mention is that the penguins were not observed in the wild but were observed while in captivity. Animals are not meant to live in captivity but to live in their natural habitat away from human influences. Anytime a human or animal is taken into captivity it becomes corrupt. For this reason I would not read this book in my classroom because it deceives children into thinking that homosexuality is normal and takes place naturally among animals in the wild, when this is not case.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tango Makes Three
This children's book is a story about two male penguins who aren't interested in other female penguins. They spend all their time together and are not like the other penguin couples. In the story, they end up raising another baby penguin together who's name is Tango. This book is controversial because it addresses the controversial topic of homosexuality.
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I can see where you are going, but I want to caution you about combining your ideological beliefs (such as those about homosexuality) with scientific fact. The former is your personal realm, whereas the latter is an ever-evolving field that we teach. For example, after a few years of teaching sixth grade biology, I learned that there are many well-documented homosexual and non-normative relationships in the mammal world.
ReplyDeleteSince Tango is more related to romanticism and belief than science, you might want to level your critique towards the author's perspective rather than their vague use of science. This would allow you to challenge them in a parallel argument.