Library Piloting New Children’s Literacy Program, ‘Reading Rats’

“At first we were all set on ‘Counting Cats’ as the new program,” Donna Chambers, Senior Assistant Advisor to the Chair of the Committee for New Library Programs, said. “But then a faction broke off in favour of ‘Book Bunnies,’ followed by ‘Tarantula Tikes,’ ‘Tamagotchi Tales,’ and finally, someone who wanted kids to read to a glass of milk.”

So when everyone on the committee rallied around the Reading Rats initiative, Chambers raised a motion to settle the matter. The library is no stranger to programs that involve children reading to animals, but staff believe this one has staying power.

“Public libraries have lately become the focal point for the culture wars all over North America. If you hear about a library in the news, chances are it’s because a protest or bomb threat just happened there, ” Sheri Wollock, a part-time employee of the library, told the Alliston Gerald, “so we were looking for something everyone can come together on. Right-wing, left-wing, traditional, progressive—we’re quite certain this one’s for everybody.” 

But where does a library go to find a dozen or so rats with whom primary students can practice reading? This proved to be the greatest challenge for the initiative until one committee member found herself on a blind date with a man affiliated with REBTA, a local club who agreed to provide the animals for the event.

“I’ve spent more time around rats than most people, and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that they love being read to. It’s a question of finding the right story,” Scott Pylon, president of Rat Enthusiasts of Beeton, Tottenham, and Alliston, told sources. “It’ll be a positive experience for our rat chaperones, as well. They don’t get a lot of opportunities to be out in the world meeting people.”

After the first meeting, witnesses observed that both children and rats were hesitant at first, but, once reading began, all parties appeared ‘relaxed,’ ‘alert,’ and ‘less twitchy.’ Rats reportedly sat adjacent to readers, while one is said to have followed along with the words in a fashion reminiscent of a karaoke bouncing ball. Reports indicate that all rats escaped over the course of the night and that the future of the program is presently uncertain.