High Paws for the People

I spent a few minutes last night checking out the PAWS for People -- R.E.A.D. program for young readers at the Kirkwood Highway Library. (Above, Tariq Nour, 8, reads to Radar.)

How great it was to see a girl curled up with a favorite book in one hand, petting Radar the greyhound with the other and reading out loud about cats (of all things) as Radar and his handler listened.

Elisabeth Simmons, the youth services librarian, is so passionate about the twice-a-month program. She has name tags for the kids, a sign-up sheet, paw prints on the floor that lead to the room where in the four corners kids can read for 15 minutes each to a pet and his or her companion. (Luke the cat wasn't there last night, so they had four dogs.) Elisabeth also had a full house -- more kids who wanted to read than slots for them to do so -- for the 7-8 p.m. session.

Elisabeth has teamed up with Paws for People, which provides the pet teams, to make this program go. Paws for People's Lynne Robinson told me this morning that she has 14 pet teams certified for R.E.A.D. and attributes its start to board member and pet team member Gail Rys. "Gail said 'I found this great reading program. I think we should do this,' " Lynne says. And they have.

You can read more about R.E.A.D in the next issue of Delaware Pets, which hits pet-related businesses around June 9.

For more about Paws for People, go to: http://pawsforpeople.org/index.html The program is in other libraries in New Castle County, including Newark, Brandywine Hundred and Appoquinimink. Call to see whether your local library has the Paws for People -- R.E.A.D. program.

For information and to pre-register for April's sessions at Kirkwood Highway Library, call
995-7663. Or visit the library's Web site (click on children's programs) for more information: http://www.co.new-castle.de.us/libraries/kirkwood/library1.asp