During her recent visit to the library, first-grader Nancy Fajardo sat Indian-style on the colorful round rug at the center of the children’s department. She read aloud a book titled Spot says Goodnight by Eric Hill.

And before turning each page, she showed the images to Flora, a former racing greyhound, who perked her ears as she listened.

It was Nancy’s first time reading to a dog.

“It’s cool because you get to touch it, read to it, and after, you get to feed it,” she said.

Nancy, 7, and her twin sister Noelia joined the “Bark and Read” program on a recent afternoon, when about 10 other kids, still in their school uniforms, piled up the rug with all kinds of books and waited their turn to interact with the tan-coated greyhound.

The program, which offers an opportunity to introduce children to literacy, runs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of every month at the children’s department in the West Kendall Regional Library, 10201 Hammocks Blvd., Room 159.

There, Maria Gehr, a retired elementary school teacher, and Flora, a 5-year-old certified therapy dog, help school-aged children with their reading.

“The program is meant to make children aware of reading and getting them to like it,” said Gehr, 66, about the Bark and Read program. She retired after 36 years of teaching. Since August, she has been a volunteer for the Miami-Dade Public Library System.

“I bring my dog so that children can read to her, count to her, recite the alphabet or pet her,” said Gehr.

She said children feel very comfortable around Flora.

“The purpose of the program is to build self-esteem for the kids,” said Tristan Miller, second in charge of children’s department at the library, who said Flora is there to pay attention without judging, teasing or making comments.

“She listens to the children as they read, and it helps them build confidence,” said Miller, 30. The idea is for children of any age to keep practicing their reading skills.

Renée Williams and her three children -- Asher, 4, Bryce, 6, and Katelyn, 8 – recently attended the program.

“We walked in on the greyhound, and my sons and daughter were very excited to join,” said the Kendall resident, whose 6-year-old son is in kindergarten and is just learning how to read.

“It’s very encouraging to see him pick out new books from the shelves to read to the dog,” said Williams, 44. “That’s a little different than what he does at home.”

Gehr encourages children to read as many books as they can by rewarding them with colorful paw-shaped stickers and letting them give treats to Flora.

“The child gets that positive reinforcement, and they’ll keep doing it,” said Victoria Galan, public affairs manager for Miami-Dade Public Library System.

The program is currently offered in four other library branches: Homestead, Miami Lakes, Pinecrest and Virrick Park. Each branch has a designated volunteer and trained dog. They all have different schedules and names but follow the same concept of boys and girls reading to a dog.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” said Galan. “Programs like Bark and Read can start to help people read while they are young, so they can become successful adults.”