Dogs Love Books, Too!

Today Debbie Glade reviews a book for children and their pups.

As an author who has visited many schools and libraries, I have encountered the wonderful world of Reading Dogs. “What’s that?” you say. Well, a Reading Dog is a specially trained service canine that sits and listens as a young child reads him a book. It has been proven that children who are hesitant to read aloud or who are struggling with reading at the proper level, improve their literacy skills when they read aloud to a Reading Dog. It is really quite a special sight to see a child sitting on the floor alongside a gentle pup, that is listening to the story and not getting frustrated with any mistakes the child is making. Many schools and libraries offer this service, if you are interested.

The Bedtime Book for Dogs ($15.99, Hachette Book Group, Ages 4 and up) by Bruce Littlefield is a perfect story for a young child to read to a dog. The story is about an unnamed dog who takes a walk to the park without his owner, only to discover that it is not much fun to be in the park all alone. The prose in the book are very basic, the illustrations by Paul S. Heath are vibrant and the story is adorable. All children who love dogs or have one of their own, would surely enjoy reading The Bedtime Book for Dogs – just before they go to sleep, of course.

You can preview the book online by clicking here.