Henry the Reading Dog - Hardcover

by Diana Kotula Reich (Author), Bella Nem (Illustrator)

Henry is an Irish Setter that finds out that being a show dog is not his superpower. One day Henry comes downstairs to find his person Jerry reading a book to his Granddaughters Rachel and Brooke. Henry sits in Brooke's lap and discovers his love for books and being read to. Brooke is a little girl with beautiful red hair just like Henry that feels anxious and distressed when reading out loud. Follow Henry on his quest to find someone to read to him and how it leads him by chance to Brooke's school where he wanders through and open door to the library and finds Brooke struggling during her turn to read out loud to the class. Discover how Brooke and Henry help each other and how Henry becomes her school's very first Reading Dog.

This book was written to spotlight Reading dogs in the classroom across the globe. Henry the Reading Dog is an excellent book to read prior to a student working with a Reading Therapy Dog. It is meant to be read with and to children. It is a story about one Dog's perspective on how he discovers his love for books and his love for helping children read and the little girl who overcame her anxiety reading aloud when they by chance help each other one day in the library.

Why have a Reading Dog in the classroom?
* Dogs in the classroom have an influence on cognitive development
* Dogs are good listeners and make no judgements
* According to the NIH study interacting with a therapy dog drives a "social catalyst" effect, which leads to "increased stimulation of social behavior."
* Children build a relationship of trust and set in motion significant development for empathy when working with dogs in the classroom.
Simply put, the NIH study summarizes, "Dogs in an educational setting seem to support motivation, concentration, attention reducing stress levels which hinder effective learning and performance."
This book is a must have when introducing Reading Therapy dogs to your young reader!