When I visit my grandsons, we all delight in repeated readings of Judith Viorst's book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." My husband, though, never read the story, never heard me read it to our grandsons. So when I learned we'd be attending a free preview of the film based on the 1972 classic last weekend, I pulled out my picture book and read it to Jim a few days before.

I read my husband the book so he'd know the real story, as even the television commercials promoting the film made it...