I was reminded again today that there are two sides to every story. In this case it was whimsical, but the point is valid nonetheless.
I had taken one of my infrequent substitute-teaching jobs in elementary and noticed a book in the classroom, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf. Did you realize the wolf was actually trying to borrow a cup of sugar from his neighbors (the Pigs) so he could finish his grandmother’s birthday cake? Unfortunately, he also had a bad cold, so when he accidentally sneezed, the houses of the first two pigs collapsed around them. So they were the ones at fault for using shoddy building materials. And when he found their bodies in the rubble, well, why let a good ham dinner go to waste?
It’s a cute story; I just wish I was that clever. But there is a valid point here. The American Indians have a proverb, “Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.” I think there is a lot of truth to that.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, first published in 1989, by Scholastic, Inc.