Remember that story about the three little pigs? You probably heard it a few times when you were much younger. When you recall the details of the story, who do you consider to be the villain, and who is the hero?

Most versions of “The Three Little Pigs” describe the events as they would have seemed to the pigs—not how they would have seemed to the “big, bad wolf.” In other words, the story takes the perspective of the three little pigs, explaining how scared the pigs were when the ferocious wolf huffed and puffed, while attempting to blow their houses down.

But what if the story was written to show the wolf’s perspective instead? How would all that huffing and puffing be described then? Perhaps the wolf would claim that he only approached the pigs’ homes to borrow a cup of sugar. And maybe he saw that the pigs’ houses had just caught fire, and he hoped to put out the fire with his breath. Given a chance, the wolf might tell the story in a way that leads readers to sympathize with his situation—rather than see him as a bully and the pigs as victims.