Book Buddies

Established in 2013 when a staff member was looking for opportunities for her son to improve his reading skills while cats at the shelter received extra companionship, our Book Buddies program quickly gained national recognition and became a beloved program among school-aged children in Berks County and beyond. Book Buddies is open to children in grades 1-8 who wish to practice their reading skills by reading out loud to cats in the shelter. Cats provide a non-judgmental and enthusiastic audience as they are soothed by the rhythmic sound of the children reading stories they bring from home.

Book Buddies are welcome to read to our cats kennel side on our adoption floor, after completing an application in our Better Impact system and watching a 5-minute orientation video. Reading will happen in shifts scheduled through the Better Impact app, Monday through Friday between 12:00pm and 5:00pm or Saturday and Sunday inside a cat colony between 12:00pm and 4:00pm. Please be prepared to bring your own books to read to the cats!