Mar Vista Library Invited Kids to Read to BARK Therapy Dogs

CC reads to a BARK therapy dog at Mar Vista Library.

With book-buying sites like Amazon out there, it's sometimes too easy to forget about our local libraries.

Here's one reason they're still more than relevant.

This summer, CC participated in the Los Angeles Public Library's summer reading program, Paws to Read. The program invited kids to read as many books as they could this summer, as well as participate in fun LA-based activities, earning prizes for how much time they spent with a book.

Because the theme was "animals," there were lots of paw-friendly activities for the kiddos. (CC loves animals, so this was reading heaven for her!)

One of the best was when Mar Vista Library invited kids of all ages to come and read to therapy dogs from BARK -- aka, Beach Animals Reading with Kids. Because kids can sometimes be shy about reading around other kids or adults, the library leaders gave them the opportunity to read aloud to trained, sweet-natured dogs from the area.

CC was more than eager. She was the first one in line to grab a book, sit herself down on a blanket and read a story to a friendly pup. And there were a roomful of kids behind her.

That was such a wonderful, thoughtful activity, and it's something you'd never be able to do over a computer. (Yes, sometimes I can be old-fashioned. :)

So, if you or your kids don't have library cards, you're in luck!

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month, and it's totally free (and super-easy) for California residents. In addition to cool activities like this one, you and your kids can borrow movies, download e-books, get online tutoring, download music, read international newspapers and more.

Sometimes, the best things in L.A. are actually free.