Curling up with a good book

Jessica is a first-grader who feels anxious and afraid.

She’s having a hard time reading. She stumbles over the words when she reads aloud. Her classmates laugh at her. This makes her dread reading even more.

At home, she practices reading to her dog, Wiggles. Wiggles is an attentive, nonjudgmental listener. His comforting presence helps her gain the confidence she needs to become a better reader.

This is the heartwarming plot of Margery Cuyler’s children’s book — “Hooray for Reading Day!” — and two local dog lovers hope to make its happy ending come true.

Sherry Lund, children’s librarian at the Hutchinson Public Library, and Sherry Eddy, an area dog trainer, are working to establish a local presence for READ Dogs Minnesota. READ stands for Reading Education Assistance Dogs, a therapy animal program that began 10 years in Utah. It’s a simple idea that has captured the imagination of volunteers across the U.S., Canada and Europe.

“Kids — especially reluctant readers — need to practice reading,” Lund said. “It can be hard to practice with someone always correcting you. Dogs are unconditional with their love and affection.”

Children with difficulty reading practice reading aloud for 20 minutes at a time while a dog cuddles next to them.

For more on this story, see the Leader’s Oct. 15 print edition.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)