Citing New Research, Shop Dogs Read Aloud

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Perhaps you saw news of the recent studies demonstrating how young children’s brain activity changes when adults read to them. We did. (Eleanor Roosevelt’s job as work-at-home shop dog is to scour the Internet for book-related news.) And because we, the shop dogs of Parnassus Books, are nothing if not motivated by science, we got right on it. 

As you know, we have a new member of our canine staff, one Miss Mary Todd Lincoln Coffman, the dachshund. To improve her mind, we’ve taken to reading aloud to her every day.

sparky reads
Sparky loves the Rocket stories for many reasons, including the fact that Rocket and Sparky could be twins. We are very much looking forward to seeing author Tad Hills when he visits us on October 15.
bear reads
Many of us found our current homes through adoption (and we’re big fans of the Nashville Humane Association and Proverbs 12:10 Rescue), so obviously Marc Simont’s The Stray Dog is a favorite around here.
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We’re dogs with a blog, so naturally we’ve been cheering for Plum, the pooch of author and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark, whose new book, Plumdog, is based on the Plumdog Blog. Belle thought the mix of adorable illustrations and clever text would appeal to even the littlest among us.
skype
Book beagle Eleanor Roosevelt Skyped in from home to read Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts, about the women who played important roles in the founding of the United States. #FirstLadesOfReading #FLOTUSforever
opie one
Because Opie wanted to read a good Lincoln biography to the baby, he chose Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Andy had to explain that this was probably too long a book to read in a single sitting.
more opie
And then Opie wasn’t sure if he wanted to read it at all.
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But Mary Todd Lincoln said, “Please?”
opie two
So they decided they’d read a chapter a day, and they got started.

We can see those puppy neurons firing up already.

 * * *

Read along with the shop dogs.

How Rocket Learned to Read 

By Tad Hills

Plumdog 

The Stray Dog 

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln