Free Books for children – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Dolly’s Imagination Library (Photo credit: MrSchuReads)

Dolly’s Imagination Library

The Imagination Library is a program that can be found in various communities throughout the United State and I think a few other countries. You can enroll your child in the program if it is available in your community. Your child will receive a free book in the mail every month until they turn 5.

From their website: In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.So she decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under 5 in Sevier County. With the arrival of every child’s first book, the classic The Little Engine That Could ™, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mail box. These moments continue each month until the child turns 5—and in their very last month in the program they receive Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come.

Unfortunately, I do not have this program in my community, but my brother lives in Auburn, NY and they do have the program there. How cool is that?

Update – 02/29/18

This program is still going strong! Just this week, Dolly Parton enshrined the 100-millionth book distributed in the program’s existence into the Library of Congress.

The 100-millionth book from the Imagination Library is Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” written by Parton. This book is an adaptation of her iconic song.

Both the book and the song encourage children to look past superficial appearances and into the heart of an individual.