Who Let the Dogs In (the Library)?
By Russell A. Mitchell
 “Dogs at the library? Unbelievable! Kids reading to dogs? That’s absurd!” Such was my initial reaction when introduced to Sit, Stay, Read! Program hosted by the Avondale Public Library.
I knew immediately I would have to observe this myself. After all, it involved the three things I most enjoy in life – kids, books, and dogs.
Hand-in-Paw, in collaboration with the Avondale Public Library, is conducting the second annual Sit, Stay, Read! summer program to encourage confidence and interaction among young readers.
When I arrived at the library, I met the teams for the day and discovered that a team consisted of a therapy pet and its “chauffeur” or handler. Five children, each chosen to participate by Head Librarian Carla Perkins, were waiting inside. The kids seemed excited to get started, and one suggested to Mary Phillips that they switch dogs after 30 minutes so they could interact with more than one. Mary, program coordinator, agreed with the enthusiastic boy’s idea.
 While the kids broke the ice by asking questions about the pups, I spoke with Carla about Sit, Stay, Read! She explained that all of last summer’s children were hesitant readers, but this year’s readers displayed varying reading levels. She added that what all these children most need is one-on-one interaction to increase self-confidence, which is readily provided by reading aloud to the therapy pets.
By the end of the hour-long session, I decided this was indeed a brilliant program, offering endless benefits to the young partakers. Although I silently expected fruitless chaos, what I observed was a group of youngsters healthily interacting with supportive adults, uncritical pets, and books galore.
^Top^
Back to Articles -->
|
