SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Kids get their ‘tales’ wagging at library

By Davy James, Staff Writer
   Cooper sat with ears perked and mouth agape as his new friend read him a story, and he waited patiently for his next tasty treat in the South Brunswick Public Library on Tuesday.
   Cooper’s listening skills make him an ideal match for young children with difficulty reading in front of groups of people, be it due to shyness or autism spectrum disorder.
   Cooper never corrects them or laughs at them when they mispronounce or stumble over a word, mainly because Cooper is a 9-year-old golden retriever who comes to the library as part of the Read to the Teacher’s Pet program.
   ”For children who have problems reading in front of a group it gives them more confidence to read to a dog because dogs are nonjudgmental,” said Cooper’s owner, Diana Reichenstein, of Kingston. “He’s a very good listener and that’s what he does. He sits, listens and imagines and he loves to meet children. He’s just a wonderful dog.”
   The library has held readings with therapy dogs before, but this is Cooper’s first go-around with a reading program.
   ”He hasn’t had any formal training but he’s been through a lot of obedience classes and he has a lot of experience with kids,” Ms. Reichenstein said. “Nothing rattles Cooper, he’s bomb-proof.”
   Susanna Chan, director of Children’s Services at the library, said that reading aloud is essential to children who are learning how to read and a therapy dog can play a vital role.
   ”It helps increase the kid’s confidence whether they’re autistic or just aren’t comfortable reading in front of people,” Ms. Chan said. “It encourages kids to read aloud more.”
   On Cooper’s first day on the job he had 11 children signed up to come in and read him a story and so far the results have been outstanding for the children.
   ”We had one person say they’ve never seen this one child do what he did today reading aloud,” Ms. Reichenstein said. “They were blown away because it was a major thing for him to sit and read out loud.”
   The parent of one shy kindergartner said her son couldn’t wait to come and read Cooper a story.
   ”We wanted him to start reading but he’s shy about reading out loud,” said Saba Tahseen, of Monmouth Junction. “But he really got excited about coming in and reading to a dog because kids get excited about pets.”
   As her young son was reading to Cooper, Ms. Tahseen said she could already see a difference.
   ”Look at him he’s really reading,” she said. “It’s so exciting, he just saw the dog and started reading. He’s very shy and hesitant so this will help down the road.”
   Read to Cooper the Teacher’s Pet will run each Tuesday until Feb. 24 for kids ages 5 and up. Registration is required. For more information call 732-329-4000 ext. 7285.