I still remember the bookshelf on top of my toy box and picking up The Poky Little Puppy or The Monster at the End of This Book. I read to my own little ones in the same rocking chair my parents read books to me.
Childhood books and memories of reading with parents, teachers, and other influential adults in our life can foster a lifelong love of reading. It was this belief that sparked the creation of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which has mailed more than 100 million books to children since 1995.
This book gifting program, which started in Dolly’s home state of Tennessee before growing internationally, mails free, high-quality books to children each month from birth until they begin school. Imagination Library now reaches children in 1800 communities across all 50 states as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Dolly just donated the program’s 100 millionth book to the Library of Congress in February. Through Imagination Library and its local partners, more than one million books per month are sent to children around the world inspiring them to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More.
The first book each child receives is The Little Engine That Could, which was one of Dolly’s favorites as a child. Additional books are age-appropriate selections, including board books, picture books, nursery rhymes, and school readiness. Many of the books have themes of imagination and inspiration, and all books are sourced through Penguin-Random House, a longtime partner of Imagination Library.
One of the first ten sites for the program was Sioux Falls, S.D. where the United Way acts as the local champion who administers the program.
“We love to buy books for children through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library,” said Jay Powell, president of the Sioux Empire United Way. “Reading becomes a gift that the child receives monthly in the mail. Over two thirds of all children under age five in our four-country metro area received the books–our best investment ever!”
Each Imagination Library community requires a partnership with local champions such as school districts, businesses, community organizations, and even individuals. In Washington, D.C., the public library is the local champion that enrolls the children in the program and also secures funding for the purchase of the books.
You can search for a program near you on the Imagination Library website, or learn how to start the program in your community. You can also explore more about the Imagination Library on its Facebook and Twitter pages.
Up next for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is the release of their first and only documentary 100 Million Stories, which will tell the story of the program and the impact it has made through interviews with Dolly, children, parents, and others. Take a peek at the documentary’s progress via the 100 Million Stories Facebook page.
