Book on male penguins tops complaint list

[ABlairican Pie]

MSNBC.com

Book on male penguins tops complaint list

American Library Association’s number of ‘challenged’ books jumps to 546


“And Tango Makes Three” is an award-winning children's book based on a true story about two male penguins who raised a baby penguin. It topped the American Library Association's annual list of works attracting the most complaints from parents and school officials.

The Associated Press
Updated: 12:27 p.m. PT Aug 28, 2007

NEW YORK - Not all penguin stories are equal in the public’s mind.

“And Tango Makes Three,” an award-winning children’s book based on a true story about two male penguins who raised a baby penguin, topped the American Library Association’s annual list of works attracting the most complaints from parents, library patrons and others.

Overall, the number of “challenged” books in 2006 jumped to 546, more than 30 percent higher than the previous year’s total, 405, although still low compared to the mid-1990s, when challenges topped 750.

“We’re still in ... the mid-range in terms of how many challenges we get,” Judith Krug, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, told The Associated Press during a recent interview.

“And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, was published in 2005 and named by the ALA as one of the year’s best children’s books. But parents and educators have complained that “Tango Makes Three” advocates homosexuality, with challenges reported in Southwick, Mass., Shiloh, Ill., and elsewhere.

The ALA defines a “challenge” as a “formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.” For every challenge listed, about four to five go unreported, according to the library association. Krug said 30 books were actually banned last year.

“Books aren’t banned nearly as much now as they used to be, because communities are much more active in fighting that,” Krug said about the bans, which can lead to books being removed from both school and public libraries.

Other books on the 2006 list include two by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, “The Bluest Eye” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Beloved,” both cited for language and sexual content; Cecily von Ziegesar’s popular “Gossip Girls” series, criticized for sexual content and language; and Robert Cormier’s “The Chocolate War,” for language, violence and sexual content.

Krug said she has statistics for challenged books through the first few months of 2007, when there were widespread reports that librarians were banning Susan Patron’s “The Higher Power of Lucky,” the story of a 10-year-old’s physical and spiritual journey and winner of the prestigious Newbery prize for the best children’s book.

Librarians had complained on an Internet list serve, LM—Net, about the book’s use of the word “scrotum,” the sac holding a man’s testicles. But when The Associated Press last February contacted several librarians who had posted critical comments, all said they were either carrying “Higher Power” or hadn’t decided.

Krug confirmed that the ALA had received no reports of “Higher Power” being banned, or even challenged. The publisher, Simon & Schuster, agreed, saying Tuesday that it had not heard of any problems at libraries.

“When a book gets in trouble, we usually learn about it pretty quickly, like with ‘Tango Makes Three.’ We knew about that right away,” said publicist Paul Crichton of Simon & Schuster, which also released the penguin book.

“But to my knowledge, that hasn’t happened with ‘Higher Power of Lucky.’ That was a case of much ado about nothing.”

The ALA, the American Booksellers Association and others in the publishing community will hold their 26th annual Banned Books Week from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6, highlighting works that have been banned or were threatened with removal.


© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[catlover79]

For pete's sake, don't these people have more important things to worry about??

[Dutabi84]

But parents and educators have complained that “Tango Makes Three” advocates homosexuality, with challenges reported in Southwick, Mass., Shiloh, Ill., and elsewhere.

Thank God for people like this. The last thing we need a book advocating is something as vile as a naturally occurring part of life.

[Mikado]

Originally Posted by Dutabi84

Thank God for people like this. The last thing we need a book advocating is something as vile as a naturally occurring part of life.

Advocating what? This was simply a TRUE story of a couple of male penguins raising an abandonned egg.....would it have been better if they had let it die instead?

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by Mikado

Advocating what? This was simply a TRUE story of a couple of male penguins raising an abandonned egg.....would it have been better if they had let it die instead?

Exactly. The book is not advocating anything. It is telling a true story. Teachers and parents are the ones who are stating it is advocating homosexuality. Now we can't even read a true story abt something that naturally occurred in the wild because some teachers and parents don't like the book. So be it, don't buy it, don't read it. Keep it out of your school library, but leave it alone for the public to purchase.

[ABlairican Pie]

This reminds me of the reaction to the movie "March Of the Penguins", one conservative movie critic, I believe it was Michael Medved, actually claimed that the movie CHAMPIONED conservative values such as monogamy, faithfulness, etc., he was praising the penguins for exhibiting values he wished more people had. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IT'S A BUNCH OF FREAKIN' PENGUINS!!! For penguins, birds, or any members of the animal kingdom to show human attributes is not a huge stretch of the imagination, and besides, these penguins are pretty much going by instinct and such, not by some "commitment to conservative values". PENGUINS DON'T KNOW ANY OF THAT STUFF!! How about if humans are exhibiting PENGUIN-like values, Mr. Medved?? Oh wait, that would play into evolutionism or all that stuff conservatives don't like, either.

Penguins, birds, and higher species are pretty smart, I'm sure God or Mother Nature planted this thing in their minds to want to protect a discarded egg and an orphaned chick from that egg. The whole thing reminds me more of the movie "Three Men And a Baby"!! Is THAT so sinful??

[PrettyinPink55]

Oh don't even get me started on banned books...
People read too much into things!!! Leave the books alone for pete's sake!!!!!!

[Penny Lane]

Good Grief!

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by ABlairican Pie

This reminds me of the reaction to the movie "March Of the Penguins", one conservative movie critic, I believe it was Michael Medved, actually claimed that the movie CHAMPIONED conservative values such as monogamy, faithfulness, etc., he was praising the penguins for exhibiting values he wished more people had. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IT'S A BUNCH OF FREAKIN' PENGUINS!!! For penguins, birds, or any members of the animal kingdom to show human attributes is not a huge stretch of the imagination, and besides, these penguins are pretty much going by instinct and such, not by some "commitment to conservative values". PENGUINS DON'T KNOW ANY OF THAT STUFF!! How about if humans are exhibiting PENGUIN-like values, Mr. Medved?? Oh wait, that would play into evolutionism or all that stuff conservatives don't like, either.

Penguins, birds, and higher species are pretty smart, I'm sure God or Mother Nature planted this thing in their minds to want to protect a discarded egg and an orphaned chick from that egg. The whole thing reminds me more of the movie "Three Men And a Baby"!! Is THAT so sinful??

Well said my friend.

How many times have we seen on the news or anywhere else, where a dog was nursing kittens? Or a mouse being "friendly" with a cat. How abt the gorilla having a kitten in its arms? Anyone remember the female gorilla who "nurtured" that little boy who fell in the gorilla pit at some zoo? People were astonished that the gorilla didn't harm the little boy. Why? Because we "expect" animals to always behave in a certain way? Just like people, animals can have attributes that are "not the norm". There are millions of instances where the animal world just continues to amaze us with things that seem "out of the ordinary" or "abnormal".

[Crimson and Clover]

I wanna get that for Lor.

[Dutabi84]

Originally Posted by Mikado

Advocating what? This was simply a TRUE story of a couple of male penguins raising an abandonned egg.....would it have been better if they had let it die instead?

Well, I was hoping the "naturally occurring part of life" part of my post would make it clear that I was being sarcastic toward the idiots complaining about the book.

Obviously this book doesn't sound like it advocates homosexuality..and even if it went as far as to point out that homosexuality is okay (which I doubt it did), then I still see zero reason to complain about this book.

[Mikado]

Originally Posted by Dutabi84

Well, I was hoping the "naturally occurring part of life" part of my post would make it clear that I was being sarcastic toward the idiots complaining about the book.

Obviously this book doesn't sound like it advocates homosexuality..and even if it went as far as to point out that homosexuality is okay (which I doubt it did), then I still see zero reason to complain about this book.

oops ! Sorry Dutabi...I thought you were being serious! oh well, it made for some great comments, didnt it?

[Ireneparalegal]

We need a sarcastic smilie!!!!!!!!!!! Show of hands...

[Dutabi84]

Originally Posted by Mikado

oops ! Sorry Dutabi...I thought you were being serious! oh well, it made for some great comments, didnt it?

It happens.

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

We need a sarcastic smilie!!!!!!!!!!! Show of hands...

Good idea..but I'm having trouble imagining how you can express sarcasm with facial gestures.

[James]

Originally Posted by Dutabi84

Thank God for people like this. The last thing we need a book advocating is something as vile as a naturally occurring part of life.