Grace Colwell and her sister, Rachel, could not wait to get to the Stillwater Public Library to see their friend Casey and tell her a few stories. When it was time to go, they wanted to stay longer.

Casey is a dalmatian and a favorite of children who participate in the library's Read to A Dog program, which is aimed at helping kids become better readers by having them read out loud to a gentle pet.

The library offers the program from 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays, but recently expanded it to include Saturday sessions to give families who can't make it on a weekday an opportunity to participate.

"It's fun because you get to read to animals," said Grace Colwell, 8, of Lake Elmo, who on a recent Monday read Dr. Seuss' "Fox in Socks" aloud to Casey. "Sometimes they try to kiss you," she said.

The Washington County Library system offers a similar program at its Mahtomedi, Forest Lake, Cottage Grove and Oakdale branches.

In Stillwater, kids get 15 minutes in a brightly lit, glassed-in room with a specially trained dog who is accompanied by a handler. During that time, kids can talk to and pet the dog or they can read a book of their choice in a relaxed atmosphere without any pressure of having to pronounce words correctly.

"The dog won't say 'you said that wrong,'" said Kelly Ellis, of Stillwater, who brought her sons, Jake, 8, and Mitch, 7, to the library.

Librarian Angela Petry said she has witnessed how, by having a non-judgmental furry friend at their side, children can develop an excitement for reading and improve their literary skills. That echoes a University of California-Davis study in 2010 that found that third-grade public school students who regularly read aloud to dogs over a 10-week period improved their reading fluency by 12 percent.

Theresa Person, Casey's handler, said some of the kids she has seen have started reading to their dogs at home.

Unbeknownst to most participants is the fact that sometimes they are interacting with a celebrity. Five trained therapy dogs visit the library on Mondays and Saturdays, and one is Ruby, the once abandoned pit-bull terrier whose rise to the theater stage and fame is retold in the book, "Ruby's Tale: A True Rags to Riches Story." The author, Patrick Bettendorf, of Stillwater, brings Ruby to the library also visits area nursing homes, schools and fundraisers.

In addition to helping kids read, handler Chris Cowen, of Stillwater, said the program has had other benefits. He recalled when one autistic child overcame fears about dogs after interacting with his lab, Bailey. He said another shy girl started to come out of her shell around the dog.

"I see the joy she can bring," Cowen said. "It's fun to see the kids reading and learning. It's great to see her encouraging them to read."

Tim Harlow • 651-735-1824 • Twitter @timstrib