Christina Wyse, 10, reads to Frankie the cat at the Butler County Humane Society recently. The Wyse family has been volunteering at the shelter since the summer, including reading to the cats.

Frankie's fluffy white ears twitched as he purred along to the soft reading of 10-year-old Christina Wyse.

“He sat there,” said Christina of Butler, who volunteers at the Butler County Humane Society. “He looked like he could tell something was happening.”

The Butler County Humane Society launched The Shelter Buddies Reading Program, where children are encouraged to read to the animals, through a $1,025 grant from Tails that Teach, a nonprofit organization that educates young children about kindness, compassion and empathy by bridging the connection between people and animals.

On Tuesday, 300 copies of “Love Me Gently; A Kid's Guide for Man's Best Friend” arrived at the shelter at 1015 Evans City Road, said Jennifer DiCuccio, executive director of the humane society.

The book is designed to help children understand kind and responsible care of pets through the story of a boy and his rescue pup, according to Tails that Teach. Young readers are empowered and encouraged to make good choices, to be responsible for their actions, and to respectfully care for their pets. The shelter's reading program will run Sundays until schools go on summer break, DiCuccio said. Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops are also welcome.

Children in the first and eighth grades, who are accompanied by an adult, can participate. Readings, which will take place in the cage-free cat room, are limited to two children at a time to ensure a calming atmosphere.

Benefits include helping kids who may struggle with reading or need a confidence boost, DiCuccio said.The books will be kept at the shelter for the reading room, while others will be used when the shelter staff visits area schools to teach the students about animals, DiCuccio said.Her goal is to expand the shelter's Tails that Teach program to all schools in Butler County, she said.Christina's mother, Melissa Wyse, said the family, including her son Nathaniel, 8, has volunteered at the shelter since the summer. They volunteered their time with the shelter and had a chance to read to the cats the two days they had off from school because of snow during the last week of January, Wyse said.The program will benefit children and also the shelter animals, she said. “I think it's a good idea,” Wyse said. “Especially for children who have trouble in reading ... The animals will not judge them as they sit and read.”

Nathaniel Wyse, 8, reads to Blinken the cat at the Humane Society shelter. A new program, funded with a grant from Tails that Teach, seeks to bridge the connection between people and animals.