Kimberly and Drew Yanke of Birmingham have always wanted to instill their love of reading into their six year old son Kai, but never dreamed that a dog would lend a hand.

For the past year, Kai has participated in the library’s monthly “Ruff Readers” program where children are given the opportunity to read a book to a therapy dog.

“It’s great because the kids have fun and at the same time learn to read,” says Kimberly Yanke. “Kai’s very proud of his accomplishments. The staff even emailed me a nice photo of him reading to one of the dogs. The concept is awesome on many levels.”

“I think it’s great to have a place that encourages reading and offers programs to kids in a non-pressure way,” says Yanke. “I told all of the kindergarten families about Ruff Readers and the book parties and we’ve found it’s a nice way to get to know them outside of school.

The library visits with Kai have also paid other dividends. 

“We always knew the library was there but we didn’t always make the effort to go there.  Before I would just buy books, but now I’m checking them out. Since we now go on a regular basis with Kai and also check out books and movies, we’ve really incorporated the Baldwin Library into our life,” she says.

 

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