Melody liked to read. But she only liked to read to herself. She got nervous when she had to read out loud.

Sometimes Ms. Robins called on Melody to read to the class. Melody turned red and stammered through a sentence or two before giving up. She was so embarrassed.

Ms. Robins talked with Melody’s mom. She told her that Melody seemed to be reading fine on her own. But they needed to work on her out loud reading. Ms. Robins wanted Melody to feel more comfortable with her reading. But how?

Melody’s mom called the local library. She asked if they had any suggestions for how to solve the problem. They did!

The library had a program called Paws to Read. Kids could come to the library and read out loud to dogs. Kids who were embarrassed to read in front of people were often more comfortable reading in front of dogs. After all, the dogs didn’t care if they made a mistake!

Melody loved dogs. She had always wanted one as a pet. But she and her mom lived in an apartment. There was no yard. And they were both out of the house all day at school and work. So, no dog for them.

Paws to Read sounded like the perfect way to solve the problem of the reading and give Melody some dog time. That’s what her mom called a “win-win.”

Melody was nervous when she went to the library. But as soon as she was paired up with one of the dogs, Patches, she relaxed. It was so much easier to read to Patches than to a classroom of kids!

After a few months of going to Paws to Read, Melody felt more comfortable reading out loud. The next time Ms. Robins called on her, she’d be ready. And she’d made a new friend too. Patches!