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SHILOH, Ill., Nov 17, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Feathers are flying at the Shiloh, Ill., elementary school where parents want to control students' access to a book about gay penguins.
Some have suggested "And Tango Makes Three" be moved from a general shelf in the school library to a restricted area where parental permission is needed in order for students to check out the books, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
But Shiloh Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw said the book about a gay penguin couple raising a baby provides a valuable lesson for kids about acceptance and diversity.
One parent said she was blindsided when she began reading the story to her daughter -- a kindergartener who is too young to understand sexual themes.
"When it came to the point where the zookeeper saw that the penguins were in love, I redirected (my daughter)," she told the newspaper. "That was the end of the story for her."
Another parent said while the book was fine for his 7-year-old son to read, it was not appropriate for his 5-year-old daughter.
The book targeted for children ages 4-8 is based on a true story of a gay penguin couple at New York's Central Park Zoo.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
