Reading aloud is a foundation of literacy development. It helps children develop their vocabulary, become more familiar with the sound of words, and gain confidence in their reading skills. Sometimes reading aloud can be a little scary, but a furry friend that loves to listen to stories can be the best thing for a nervous reader! Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D) are therapy dogs that help relieve the stress of reading from new readers and encourage them to continue developing their reading skills.
Children can practice reading aloud to a therapy dog at one of our library branches. The Read with a Dog program can be found at Alachua Branch, Millhopper Branch, and Tower Road Branch. Stories with Slick can be found at Library Partnership Branch.
Check our events calendar to see when the therapy dogs are visiting the library branches.
Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
by
Madeline Finn does NOT like to read. But she DOES want a gold star from her teacher. But, stars are for good readers. Stars are for understanding words, and for saying them out loud.
Fortunately, Madeline Finn meets Bonnie, a library dog. Reading out loud to Bonnie isn’t so bad; when Madeline Finn gets stuck, Bonnie doesn’t mind. As it turns out, it’s fun to read when you’re not afraid of making mistakes. Bonnie teaches Madeline Finn that it’s okay to go slow. And to keep trying.
With endearing illustrations, Lisa Papp brings an inspiring and comforting book to all new readers who just need a little confidence to overcome their fears.