A friendly therapy dog went above and beyond the title of "man's best friend" when she spent an afternoon as a supportive ear for young readers at Slatington Library on Friday.

As part of the First Friday theme of "back to school," the library decided to host a little get-together with a reading therapy dog."One of our members is friends with Jess Ballas, and she asked her to come in and give a little talk about training a reading therapy dog, and she brought Eva," Lynne Fedorcha, volunteer and secretary of the board of directors for the library, said.Ballas said that Bernese Mountain dogs, such as Eva, make for perfect therapy animals, as they are fun and friendly, and love to please a crowd. In order to reach the ranks of a therapy dog, Eva had to pass a set of tests, many of which involved ignoring distractions, such as loud children and food, while staying put.While Eva has done sessions at retirement homes, Ballas said that she seems to love children most of all, as she has spent about three years participating in kid-based programs at Slatington Elementary School and the Parkland Library."We've gone to schools where Eva has helped some kids with emotional support, and we have participated in some other programs where kids read to Eva, which is really cute and fun," Ballas said."It's a fun opportunity for the kids, because sometimes if they have a learning disability, or they're a little bit behind on their reading level in school, it's less intimidating to read to a dog than a person. The dog's not going to judge them or yell at them or correct them. It's just a very therapeutic way to improve your reading skills."After explaining the job of therapy dogs and discussing Eva's background - she is also a Master Draft Dog, a sport where Bernese Mountain dogs pull carts - kids got an opportunity to sit down and read to the friendly pooch."I met the therapy dog, Eva, and I read 'Green Eggs and Ham.' It was cool," Alexis Mack, 9, said.Of course, with Eva being such a good girl while she did her job, she was provided with some treats after the kids were done reading."I liked that I was able to read to her and give her a treat," Sarah Costabile, 7, said.Parents and guardians in attendance enjoyed the event, as the kids had a fun time reading to a receptive and pleasant pet like Eva, and many hope that sessions like this one will continue in the future."I thought it was really cool," Aaron Pienta said. "The whole presentation and the way that it was done, it was very good. It's one of the more positive library programs. You bring a dog in, people interact with it, have some snacks, and it's something special. I hope they do it again, and we'll be back to check it out."