Book Buddies: Where Reading Skills Grow and Shelter Animals Find Comfort
Help your child build reading confidence while giving shelter animals the gentle comfort they need. Our Book Buddies program pairs young readers with furry listeners who provide the perfect judgment-free audience for practicing reading skills.
How it works
Your child reads aloud to guinea pigs and rabbits in a safe environment.
These one-on-one sessions give kids the chance to practice their reading without pressure, while the soothing sound of human voices helps reduce stress for our animals awaiting adoption.
Perfect for Growing Readers
Ages: Kindergarten through 4th grade
Ideal for children who:
Are building reading confidence
Love animals
Want to help shelter pets
Learn better in quiet, judgment-free environments
Program Benefits
For Your Child:
Build reading fluency and confidence
Practice in a supportive, no-pressure setting
Develop empathy and compassion for
animals
Experience the joy of helping others
For Our Animals:
Receive calming human interaction
Reduce shelter stress through gentle voices
Improve adoptability through positive
socializationGet a peaceful break from shelter activity
Reading Session Details
When: Monday through Friday
Times: between 1:30-5:00 PM
Important Requirements
Each child must be accompanied by an adult for the entire visit
Both reader and adult must watch our orientation video beforehand
We cannot accommodate non-reading siblings during sessions
Pre-registration required for all sessions
Session Duration
60-minute sessions
(stay as long as you like within your time slot)
Participation Fee
$10
per reading session
What to Bring
Your child's favorite book, or chosen from our animal-themed collection
Ready to Get Started?
Step 1: Watch our orientation video below.
Step 2: Schedule your session using the calendar.
Step 3: Come to St. Hubert’s (575 Woodland Ave., Madison, NJ) for your Book Buddies session!
Book Your Session
Meet Our Buddies
Book Buddies gave him the gift of believing in himself.
“As a struggling reader, my son often feels nervous or frustrated when it comes to reading. But with the bunny as his audience, something magical happened—he relaxed, smiled, and read with a confidence I had never seen before.
His favorite part was showing the bunny the pictures while the bunny stuck his nose through the cage gazing intently.
Watching him beam with pride after finishing his book filled my heart with joy.
This program didn’t just help strengthen his reading skills, it gave him the gift of believing in himself. We are so grateful for this beautiful opportunity.”
~ Michelle P
He was absolutely more confident in his reading than usual.
“My son Liam (7) LOVED reading to the animals. He was absolutely more confident in his reading than usual.
It was so sweet watching him walk up to each animal to show them pictures and relate the book to their experiences as animals.”
~ Lauren P.
He got excited when [the bunny] seemed to be enjoying the story too!
“Dominic had a wonderful time visiting Saint Hubert's! He read to a bunny named Xylophone.
He enjoyed watching her hop around and got excited when she seemed to be enjoying the story too! We will be coming back to read to other smallies!”
~ Virginia W.
