Launch Event Scheduled for Friday, June 17 at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Syracuse, NY – The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, Onondaga County Public Libraries (OCPL), and the Early Childhood Alliance (ECA) are pleased to announce a special “And Tango Makes Three” StoryWalk® in celebration of Father’s Day, Pride Month, and families of all kinds. The installation will be unveiled at the Zoo during a launch event scheduled for 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Friday, June 17.
Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole, “And Tango Makes Three” tells the heartwarming true story of two male penguins at New York City’s Central Park Zoo who started a nontraditional family when they hatched and raised an orphaned chick. The pages of the award-winning children’s book will be mounted on signs and installed at a child-friendly height so families can read along as they walk and enjoy the Zoo.
“And Tango Makes Three” is a particularly timely installation given the recent birth of the first Humboldt penguin chick to be fostered by a pair of same-sex penguins at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Hatched on January 1 to male foster parents Elmer and Lima, Bruno has since become a local celebrity and unofficial “poster penguin” for the Pride movement.
“‘And Tango Makes Three’ is such a natural fit for this year’s StoryWalk at the Zoo. The parallels to this heartwarming story and with our own experience, connect to our mission of saving species and protecting the vulnerable – in this case, Bruno,” said Zoo Director Ted Fox.
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will lead families along the StoryWalk® route, beginning in the courtyard and ending at the Penguin Coast exhibit. Keepers will be stationed at the exhibit to give the inside scoop on the Zoo’s colony of Humboldt penguins and answer questions. After completing the StoryWalk®, families are encouraged to visit the OCPL and ECA tables for a complimentary copy of the book (quantities limited, first-come, first-served), children’s activities, and additional early literacy resources.
“This StoryWalk® is just one way we’re bringing library services to our communities,” said OCPL Executive Director Christian Zabriskie. “The joys of reading and a love of the outdoors aren’t mutually exclusive, and StoryWalks® offer a great way to blend the two and show families that reading and learning can happen anywhere.”
The StoryWalk® will be on display for approximately three weeks so guests of the Zoo can enjoy it at their leisure throughout Pride Month. Another installation is planned for October to coincide with the Zoo’s annual Zoo Boo event.
“Reading with young children every day is one of the most important ways to prepare them for school,” said Laurie Black, Director of the ECA. “We’re delighted to collaborate with OCPL and the Zoo to bring this early literacy message to families. We hope families will take away from this experience that reading together as a family can be fun and really can happen anywhere, even at the Zoo.”
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
