“Read Me a Story, Daddy.”

Howard Maxwell of Los Angeles had a four-year-old daughter, Melinda, who had acquired a fixation for “The Three Little Pigs” and wanted him to read it to her night after night. Mr. Maxwell, pleased with himself, recorded the story. When Melinda next asked for it, he simply pushed the button to play the recorded story.

This worked for a couple of nights, but then one evening Melinda pushed the storybook at her father. “Now, honey,” he said, “you know how to turn on the recorder.”

“Yes,” replied Melinda, “but I can’t sit on its lap.”