The newest reading specialist at Harrington Sound has a tendency to fall asleep when the children read.She’s also whisper a little hairy.However, as she’s a long-haired black and white cat, she can be forgiven for it.SPCA volunteer Roma Hayward recently launched a pilot reading programme at the school. Every Monday, a group of primary five students meet in Carolyn Conway’s classroom to read to Panda.“It is great because they don’t think they are coming to a lesson, they think they are here to entertain the cat,” said Mrs Conway. “We are trying to get the children to read a lot more and become lifelong readers.”Mrs Conway first met Ms Hayward through Leaders in Field Education. The organisation includes a range of informal or ‘field’ educators such as the SPCA, the Bermuda National Trust and Bermuda Zoological Society.LIFE is a member of the Bermuda Education Network.Ms Hayward told Mrs Conway how she wanted to use Panda to help in the school system. Cats and dogs were already being used as reading buddies in the United States, and she wanted to bring something similar to Bermuda.“These children wouldn’t normally read in front of anyone because they have trouble with their pronunciation and fluency,” she said. “Sometimes they feel very self-conscious. With the cat there, they are just so keen to read to this cat. They have forgotten about their inhibitions.”Some of the children have started reading at their proper level since the introduction of Panda, Ms Hayward said.“It is quite interesting to see their growth,” she said.The children read a variety of books to Panda, mostly about animals and mostly by local authors. The students told us that ‘Pinky’, a story about a little guinea pig by Bridget Jardine, is one of Panda’s favourites.“She does listen when we read,” said Sebastian Wild, 10. “She stares right at people.”Panda hangs out on the floor while the children read. She has been trained to avoid confrontation by withdrawing instead of scratching or biting. When she starts to get nervous Ms Hayward quickly sticks her back in her crate for a break. Panda has been at the SPCA for two years and is not up for adoption. As the charity’s roving ambassador, she frequently goes with Ms Hayward to school assemblies to help teach students about proper pet care and treatment.“The reading programme is the longest programme she has been involved in,” said Ms Hayward. “At school assemblies, I usually talk and then bring her out for the last ten minutes in a school assembly. Here she sits and listens for half an hour. Because she is so laid back she doesn’t react to noises and abrupt movements. I started by taking her home with me. I have two young children at home so she got used to erratic movements. The children have responded really well to her. The first week I came we weren’t too sure whether the children were going to be interested, but they wanted to read to her right away.”Having Panda in the reading programme is also an opportunity for Ms Hayward to gently talk to the children about animal behaviour and the proper way to treat animals. Many of the books they read are about animals. After the story she often talks with the students about whether the animal in the story was treated properly. For some of the children this is their first positive experience with a cat. One child was quite scared when Panda first arrived in the classroom; she has now gotten over her fear. Another child told The Royal Gazette that she had just gotten a puppy and was now reading to it when she went home.“With reading to pets there is no judgement,” said Ms Hayward. “There is no one snickering at them. They are able to build confidence in an environment where they feel more comfortable.”