Outcry on penguin book ban

WASHINGTON -- A children’s book about two male penguins that hatch and parent a chick was pulled from library shelves in Loudoun County, Va., elementary schools this month after a parent complained that it promoted a gay agenda.

The decision by Supt. Edgar B. Hatrick III led many parents and gay rights advocates to rush to the penguins’ defense. Many say the school system should not have allowed one complaint to limit children’s literary choices. Some are calling for an overhaul of the book review policy. Besides, many say, what could be wrong with a book about penguins?

The book is based “on a true story . . . of what happens in the animal kingdom,” said David Weintraub, director of Equality Loudoun, a gay rights organization. “It’s about the joy of being part of a family. These penguins love each other. They take care of each other.”

The book, “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, draws on the real-life story of Roy and Silo, two chinstrap penguins at the Central Park Zoo in New York. It also appears to make a point about tolerance of alternative families.

The 2005 book topped the American Library Assn.’s list of banned or challenged books in 2006.

Parents challenged the book in Shiloh, Ill., and Charlotte, N.C. Administrators in Charlotte initially yanked the book but later restored it, according to news reports.