Woof and books, kids read to dogs at Naperville Public Library

Have you ever thought about reading to your four legged companion? Naperville Public Library has introduced a new reading program, Bark for Books.

Recommended for children grades first through third, this reading program encourages children to read out loud. When you read to a furry companion, the kids shed their fears about reading out loud.The children will be paired with Therapy Dog/Handler team.

Two different groups are supplying dogs for this program, PAWSitive Therapy Troupe and the Naperville Area Humane Society.All the dogs used in the Bark for Books programs are specially training and pass tests and have certification either as a Canine Good Citizen, Delta Society or have been certified as a therapy dog.

For some children, reading out loud can be scary.The child may think that he will get in trouble for mispronouncing words or doing something incorrectly. When a child reads to a dog, these fears are put aside. Karen Click, PAWSitive Therapy Troupe Coordinator, feels the kids relax more when they read to a dog. “They get into the book more, after all they’re reading to someone!, she explains. Click believes, “for some kids it’s like reading a bedtime story. They don’t want to frighten the dog.”

Bark for Books programs will be held Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave., and on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Naper Boulevard Library, 2035 S. Naper Blvd.

For more information on this event or other library events, please visit www.naperville-lib.info.

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