Dogs have taken over the library at Park Elementary School in the Columbia Borough School District, but don't worry; the library is still a calm, quiet place. These dogs are in the form of books provided by the American Kennel Club (AKC) through a program called Bailey's Book Club.

"The books range in interest level from kindergarten to fourth grade," said librarian Kelcey Bucks. "All the books are about dogs, a popular topic among our young readers. The books include old favorites like Clifford and award-winning books like 'Because of Winn-Dixie' by Kate DiCamillo. Nonfiction titles were also included, such as 'George Washington and the General's Dog' by Frank Murphy."

Bailey's Book Club is an initiative of the AKC, created to provide books and educational resources to kindergarten through 12th-grade Title 1 schools nationwide, encouraging reading and teaching children about the importance of the human-canine bond.

Kelly Skiptunas, who regularly brings her dog, Jager, to read with students at the school library, heard about the program and suggested that Bucks apply. The AKC delivered 15 books in October.

"In addition to the books, there were bookmarks for the students," Bucks noted. "AKC also provided reading extension activities that could be used with the books, such as comprehension questions and matchbook summaries."

Skiptunas and Jager join students at the Park library a few times a month. "Reading aloud to Jager helps our students practice their fluency with reading," Bucks explained. "It builds their self-confidence because reading therapy dogs do not judge them or make them feel uncomfortable. It makes students want to read and that intrinsic motivation is important on the path toward becoming independent readers."

She added that the donation from Bailey's Book Club will have a lasting impact on the students at Park.

"Additional books in the library add to varying types of books students have access to in the school library," she said. "Books help students increase their language skills, especially their vocabulary. The inclusion of both fiction and nonfiction books is beneficial, too. Fiction books help our students to think and react to stories. Nonfiction books increase students' understanding of their world."