Joy Behar presented a new weekly segment on “The View” on Friday: “Joy’s Banned Book Club,” which will highlight titles that have been targeted for removal from schools and public libraries.
“Book bans have become an almost daily occurrence,” Behar said. “In the last school year alone, there were over 2,500 cases of banned books in over 5,000 schools…even children’s books are under fire. So, with that in mind, we’re introducing a new segment to the show this week, which we like to call “Joy’s Banned Book Club.”
The television host and comedian kicked off the segment with the award-winning children’s book “And Tango Makes Three,” a 2005 title by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. The book tells the story of two male penguins who bonded at the New York Zoo and raised a chick together.
“It’s a gentle and gracious way to introduce kids to the concept of same-sex relationships and non-traditional families,” Behar said.
Behar noted that the title was removed from school libraries in Escambia County, Florida last week because it was “inappropriate” for elementary school students. Nearly 15 years after its release, “And Tango Makes Three” continued to appear on the American Library Association’s “Most Challenged” book list as recently as 2019.
“As for ‘And Tango Makes Three’, our studio audience can decide for themselves, because you all get a copy,” Behar said.