Posted on 11/17/2006 3:29:42 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at kevxml2adsl.verizon.net ...
And children aren't idiots, by the way.
March of the Penguins on Christopher Street
I don't know about you folks but I am getting pretty sick and tired of the way the fags are working thier sick ife style into my children and grandchildrens life..
No matter what their parents want or think. This is subtle psychological steering in the guise of innocent child fare. This is a tactic of which this book is only one example.
Figgers.
Maybe I'm missing something here ...do two male animals, in this case, penguin's sometimes care for an egg and/or young? If so I can see the interest in a having a book about it and don';t see why it should be censored or restricted/
If that's true, I don't see how it has any bearing on whether its a sin for two male humans to have sex. The bible still says what its a sin, two birds aren't gonna change what the bible says.
Nor would it mean the governmenment should leglaize gay marriage. Just because its possible for two birds, or two men or two women (or for that matter one man or three men) to raise a chick or a child doesn't mean the government is under any obligation to encourage it. Marriage is an incentive designed to promote what we think is the best environment, not evey possibe environment.
On the surface, it sounds like this is a to do about something that it is even related to.
And putting pressure on libraries for political reasons just makes the side doing ity look bad.
I don't know much about penguins. But some humans kidnap, rape and torture people to death. Perhaps a book on that topic would be appropriate.
Or maybe responsible adults are supposed to make choices about what children should be exposed to.
The problem is the motivation behind the book. If we lived in a world where a powerful and influential sector of the population wasn't trying it's utmost to push the culture into deviancy and decadence then it might just be an interesting nature book. But, with the issues of the day being what they are, it's quite likely that the purpose of this book is something other than penguin behavioral study.
"March of the Penguins on Christopher Street"
You owe me a keyboard.
The penguins are not gay. They found an abandoned egg and claimed it. After the chick was hatched and on its own, they both found female mates.
These penguins can set an example for human behavior, unfortunately some people with an agenda are twisting this story on its head.
"On the surface, it sounds like this is a to do about something that it is even related to."
Sort of like the to do about something in saying the pledge of allegiance in the morning when getting to school?
Acts of stupid censorship like this just make children cynical.
I always knew there was something off about penguins. I prefer the more manly puffins.
I understand that when the baby penguin came of age, his parents wouldn't let him join the guinscouts.
Check out this link on the book and its teaching guide. From the link:
The Central Park Zoo is home to all kinds of animal families. But Tango the penguin's family is a bit different -- she has two fathers. This heartwarming story will open the minds of readers, resonating long after the story has finished.
"A little miracle for children. Funny, tender, and true, the story of Tango will delight young readers and open their minds." -- John Lithgow
2. "Family" is a prominent theme in And Tango Makes Three. Discuss the concept of a "family." What constitutes a family? Tango's family is different, but how is it the same as any other family in the zoo? In the world?
Looks to me like learning about penguins is indeed a side issue.
Guilty - of anthropomorphization
I blieve this book is aimed at children aged 4 to 8. Those kids are not going to see this as censorship, or be cynical about the politics of it -- unless adults with an agenda work very hard to "explain" the situation to the kids.
No, that was March of the Penguins. This book is guilty of something else.
Yeah, the folks using the book as a teaching tool. Check out the study guide in my above link..
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