Imagination Library Turns the Page
on Successful First Year

“I think I can, I think I can,”  the refrain from the courageous “The Little Engine That Could” is a story of optimism read to children since 1930 and one remembered by many adults today. This classic tale of the power of positive thinking is the first book of 60 that is mailed free to children born on or after September 1, 2006, registered for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program and living in one of the six pilot Hillsborough County zip codes.*

It in its first year locally, more than 1,100 children are part of Imagination Library. Each child receives one free book each month until their fifth birthday.

Due to the generous gift by an anonymous donor, the Imagination Library program will soon be available to every child in Hillsborough County born after September 1, 2006.

Dolly Parton began Imagination Library in her home state of Tennessee because she believed that income should not be a restriction for children to have books in their home. Encouraging children to love reading and create a habit of reading in the home, the popular initiative has spread to hundreds of communities worldwide. The Dollywood Foundation funds administration costs for the program.  |more|