THU · 4:00pm
Lego Lab
John Gillum Branch
TUE · 4:00pm
Barking Book Buddies: Read to Hank!
Tuesday, December 1 at John Gillum Branch, Austin
About this event
Barking Book Buddies: Read to Hank! is a reading session at the John Gillum Branch of the Austin Public Library, where children read aloud to Hank, a trained therapy dog. Certified volunteer teams bring their dogs in and wait for young readers. It is a gentle way for a child to practice reading in a neighborhood library.
Who's playing
Hank is a therapy dog, and the session is built around him. Certified volunteer teams with trained therapy dogs wait for children to read to them. The program is based on a simple idea: a child who reads to a dog often feels more relaxed about reading aloud.
What to expect
Children take turns reading a story aloud while the dog listens. The session is open to children of all reading levels, so early readers and confident ones both have a place. The room is a branch library reading space, so the pace is calm and the focus stays on the books.
Why go
Reading to a therapy dog is a low-pressure way for a child to build confidence with words. The dogs give young readers a reason to stay with a story a little longer. The John Gillum Branch on Steck Avenue was the North Village Branch until the city renamed it for a longtime Austin Public Library facilities manager.
Where
John Gillum Branch · 2505 Steck Ave. · Austin TXDirections