Paws to Read

Paws to Read is back at the College Avenue Branch on Tuesday, November 3, from 6 PM to 7 PM. It's a reading program for school-aged children who are just starting to read or who find it a bit of a struggle. The whole idea is simple: they get to read aloud to a registered therapy dog who loves to listen to stories. There's no judgment here—just a dog who's happy to hear whatever they're reading—and that's exactly how it works. Reading out loud to a listener who doesn't correct you or lose patience helps build both reading skills and self-confidence at the same time.

Each child signs up for a fifteen-minute session, and they can bring any book they like. Whether it's a favorite picture book, a new chapter book, or something they've been working through for a while, the choice is theirs. The dog doesn't care about the title or the page count; it's just about the act of reading aloud.

The program runs out of the College Avenue Branch, which is the Indianapolis Public Library branch at 4180 North College Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46205. The branch currently occupies a 16,000-square-foot building that opened in August 2000, taking over for the Broadway Branch, which had served the neighborhood since 1924—first in a frame house on East 42nd Street and later in a 6,500-square-foot building on Broadway Street. It's a good spot for a quiet afternoon with a book, and on this particular Tuesday, it's where you'll find the therapy dog waiting. The session runs from 6 PM to 7 PM on November 3.