"Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story." That's Alexander T. Wolf talking, and he'd like to set the record straight. He says, "I don't know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it's all wrong . . . The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar."

If you can buy his explanation, the wolf relates how he was making a birthday cake for his dear old granny when he ran out of sugar. Off he went to his neighbor's to borrow a cup, but, because of his terrible cold, he sneezed a great sneeze, and the whole straw house fell down, leaving the occupant, the First Little Pig, dead as a doornail. So the wolf ate him. The same thing happened to the Second Little Pig in his house of sticks. When the wolf tried again at the brick house of the Third Little Pig, the rude little porker called the cops on him. The wolf, speaking from behind bars, concludes his indignant testimonial by claiming he was framed.

This hilarious picture book and personal narrative started a an explosion of fairy tale parodies for children and introduced the dream team of author Jon Scieszka, former classroom teacher and now our first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and Lane Smith, whose unforgettable mixed-media collage illustrations make the wolf's story seem plausible. It is widely considered one of the best read-alouds ever by kids and grownups alike. (You'll find it on this list of 100+ picture book classics at: http://readkiddoread.ning.com/profiles/blogs/great-classic-illustrated.)

When you read a new book aloud, listen to the voices. In your head, the characters should speak to you. Where do you find these voices? They could come from relatives, friends, neighbors, or even strangers you overhear in a restaurant. I particularly love to harvest the voices of politicians, who often have their own special ways of talking. And, of course, there are actors from whom you can borrow phrasing and intonation. Do you need to read aloud like Lawrence Olivier or Meryl Streep? Of course you do. Ham it up. Have fun playing with voices. My mother's most memorable advice to me was, "Judy, always read with expression!" I was only six, but I never forgot it. It's why I became a librarian and why I still love to read aloud to children better than anything.

In a May, 24, 2009 New York Times Sunday Magazine article about Conan O'Brien, the late night comedian says, "The other day, I was at my daughter's school to read to the kids, and I started acting out all the characters. I ran into Liza on my way out, and she said, 'How did it go?' I said, 'I killed in there!' She looked at me and said: 'They're a bunch of 4-year-olds. You're just supposed to read the book.' " I'm with Conan. Have a blast with the books you read aloud. And Jon Scieszka's books are a great place to start.


THEMES: FAIRY TALES—SATIRE. HUMOROUS FICTION. PARODIES. PERSONAL NARRATIVES. PICTURE BOOKS FOR ALL AGES. PIGS. POINT OF VIEW. WOLVES.