Tale from Hoffman

Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman has, no doubt, read a lot of scripts over the course of his career, but he’ll soon be reading something a little different.

On Dec. 6, the 66-year-old actor will read from the new children’s book “Just as You Are: The Story of Leon and Sam.” Penned by Hoffman’s friend Nancy Freeman Marks, the rhyming book tells the tale of a young boy who befriends a lost dog in a magical land.

Because the book is written for children ages 2 to 8, chances are few of the kids at the reading will be familiar with Hoffman’s roles -- as the younger man in “The Graduate,” the autistic savant in “Rain Man” or a lawyer in “Runaway Jury.”

“I’m not sure they’ll know who he is,” said Lise Friedman, events coordinator for Dutton’s Brentwood Bookstore. “But I think they’ll definitely remember him once they’ve seen him.”

Especially if he shows up in pajamas, as rumored.

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Dustin Hoffman reading “Just as You Are: The Story of Leon and Sam,” Dutton’s Brentwood Bookstore, 11975 San Vicente Blvd., L.A. 4 p.m. Dec. 6. Free. (310) 476-6263.