Tricky Dogs Are Coming to the Largo Public Library

Summer is the time of year when children tend to forget about school and focus on play dates and pool parties. Those are great things to do, but it is also important to make sure your children are reading.

To help keep your children interested in reading over the summer, the Largo Public Library has a reading incentive program where children are rewarded for completing various reading-related activities.

Registration for our summer program, Dream Big, Read, has begun and can be done online or in the library.

In addition to this program, we also have summer storytimes and entertainers.

Today’s entertainer is Rick Martin and his Tricky Dogs.  Join us at 2 p.m. to see the dogs and their pet human do tricks and comedy in a circus-style performance. You can find a copy of Rick Martin’s book, Circus Tricks for Your Dog, in our library’s collection as well as other dog trick books.

Speaking of dog tricks, recently I read The Fast and the Furriest, a current Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award book for grades 3-5. It tells of a boy whose “fat and lazy dog” suddenly starts doing tricks and eventually competes in a dog show. It was a quick read as I breezed through the 247 pages to find out how Cromwell, the dog, and Kevin, his owner, faired at the final competition.

Another dog-themed Sunshine State book is Guinea Dog, which tells the story of a young boy named Rufus and his desire to have a pet dog. Rather than getting him a dog, his mother gives Rufus a guinea pig. While Rufus thinks that his mother has lost her mind, he slowly begins to see dog-like qualities in his new pet and learns that not all pets are created equal. These are just two of the many dog-related books available at the Largo Public Library.

With so many cool books available, and so many ways to encourage even the most stubborn reader, there is no excuse for children not to be reading every day of their summer vacation. Whether it is too check out books or attend a program, we hope to see lots of students in the library over the summer. Be sure your child is one of them!