At 7 years old, Polly is an attentive reader. She’ll curl up with a good book several times a month at one of the Cobb County’s branch libraries. On the second and fourth Thursday, she’s in Kennesaw, sprawled on a soft blanket on the floor of the meeting room where kids clamor to read with her.
Polly, a retired guide dog, is the branch’s official “reading dog,” a calm and cuddly sounding board for young readers who want to practice their skills or simply want to spend a few minutes curling up with the golden retriever. She and her owner, Joan Britt of Kennesaw, went through training with the Caring Paws to be a reading team, with Polly acting as the rapt listener while Britt coaches youngsters over any difficult words.
“I thought Polly needed a job,” said Britt with a laugh. “I was looking around and found this organization that trains dogs to go into schools and libraries, and it sounded like fun. And I thought Polly would be really good at that because she’s very laid back and loves kids.”
Britt was also taken with the idea of having a dog be the means of improving children’s desire to read and read aloud.
“Reluctant readers are usually also shy about standing up and speaking,” she said. “This is a way to help them over that. A dog is very non-judgmental. If the child stumbles, we don’t correct them.”
Britt schedules Polly’s reading partners in 15-minutes blocks, usually without a parent in the room.
“Parents tend to hover and correct, which is not what we want,” she said. “This is a great time for the kids to be themselves.”
The readers have a range of skills, from early beginners to advanced. Some youngsters practice reading the book aloud before meeting with Polly; others show up with two or three books they’ve just picked out and dive right in, carefully pausing before turning the page to show Polly the pictures. After 10 sessions, each child receives a free paperback to take home.
On a recent Thursday, 6-year-old Madeleine McQuaig of Kennesaw read two books to Polly while her mother, Debbie, stood just outside the door.
“Madeleine is obsessed with dogs, so I signed her for that reason first, but I also liked the idea that this will help her develop a stronger love of reading,” said McQuaig. “Kids can always read to parents at home, but a dog? That’s fabulous. If Polly were here every week, we’d do it.”
Polly is so popular that there is now a backlog of readers ready to share stories with her. Kids also find it difficult to stop at the 15-minute mark so the next child gets a turn.
“Getting them to stop reading is the biggest problem we have,” said Britt. “They just want to read and read and read. But in the end, that’s a good thing.”
Polly also makes appearances at the Acworth library on the first and third Tuesdays. Sessions at both branches begin at 3:30 p.m. To sign up, contact the Kennesaw library, 2250 Lewis Street, 770-528-2529; or Acworth, 4569 Dallas Street, 770-917-5165; cobbcat.org.
Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community. To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 404-514-6162.
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