Discusses the hyperbole surrounding statements and testimonials about the effectiveness of phonics instruction. Suggests that reading is more than sounding out words one at a time and that most children figure it out for themselves with little or no help. Suggests that reading is also more than a psycholinguistic guessing game. (RS)

Offers a humorous perspective on being a proponent of the whole language approach to reading instruction in the face of those who favor phonics and specific skill instruction. (SRT)