Picture Book Comparison Essay
Question 2
As much as different authors come up with different picture books, their themes could be the same. The book And Tango makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and In Sometimes I feel Like A Fox by Danielle Daniel is examples of such books that have different authors. Still, the themes are the same, even though they have different analyses. Considering the emotional themes and social issues in the two books help understand how two different authors can reflect on similar themes that deal with specific creatures.
Emotional Themes
In And Tango makes Three, the emotional theme that is distinct is when the two male penguins adopt an egg together. It shows how much attached they are to such an extent that they work together, and the go-ahead to adopt an egg (Dooley 2019). They also build a nest together, and this shows that they do most of their things together. These penguins show the emotional attachment with everything that they do, and they also show that there is an aspect of love between them (Dooley 2019). Roy and Silo have been couples for a long time, and they play with the other penguins in the zoo. The zookeeper also shows an emotional aspect when he shows some love to the chinstrap couple. He takes an extra egg that another couple lay, and are not able to take care of, and gives it to the couple, who have to take turns sitting on it before it hatches. In Sometimes I feel Like A Fox, the author, Daniel, released the book, making it bring the emotional aspect in the sense that there is that secure attachment with the son (Clare, 2015). The other wanted to connect the son with his roots, the indigenous aboriginal, and this brought out an excellent book, which most people can learn from it. From the book, people get the aspect of the Anishinaabe tradition of the totem animals, and this shows the unity that the animals had (Clare, 2015). The attributes of the creatures and the costumes that the children put on show the connection in these animals, and the fact that they were defined by their traits, thus showing that they also have feelings and emotions, which they can be defined by them (Clare, 2015). Readers can also point out the characteristic traits that resemble theirs from the animals, and that is why the author brings forth the fact that animals also have feelings that can relate to the ones of human beings.
Social Issues
The social issues in And Tango Makes Three is the fact that penguins can also be gay couples. In the book, these penguins cannot lay eggs, but they are helped by the zookeeper to get an egg that they have to sit on in turns for it to hatch. These are just some of the things that take place in the zoo, and until people read the book, they cannot know that penguins can also be gay. The penguins depict a typical example of what happens in the world of human beings, where people decide to be gay. Besides, they also show that being gay does not deter them from having offspring. As much as they did not lay the egg, they took turns sitting on it until it hatched, and they named it Tango. It shows that penguins can also adopt a child; in the same way, gays do in the real; world. The social issue in Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox is that every child in the book identifies so well with trying on the emotions that are depicted therein. The children, who are presented relate so well with the animals, and this shows the relationship that children can have with animals (Clare, 2015). The story also dwells on the Anishinaabe totem animals, and how they relate with one another. Daniel also connects the son to the aboriginal roots and shows him that he should not disconnect from his origins. People should always appreciate where they come from and be proud of these places.
The authors in both books bring out the relationship between animals and birds when they are in a particular setting. Animals and birds have emotional feelings, and just like the penguins, they know that they should do some things like building a net together, and playing together because they love one another. These authors show that animals and birds relate in the same way that people do, and their emotional attachment resembles that of human beings.
References
Dooley, I. (2019). Banned Books Week 2019: And Tango Makes Three.
Clare, K. (2015). Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox: In Conversation with Danielle Daniel