Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Children in Kenton County up to age 5 are invited to sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to receive a FREE, age-appropriate book once per month. Books are mailed directly to your home to keep.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was launched in 1995 by The Dollywood Foundation, providing free books to children in Parton’s home area of Sevier County, Tennessee. The goal of the program is to inspire a love of books and reading among children. To learn more about the Imagination Library’s impact on children in Kentucky, visit https://imaginationlibrary.com/kentucky/
Frequently Asked Questions
I have more than one child under the age of five. Can each child receive a book?
Yes, each child will receive a book that is age appropriate. Each title is mailed separately to children of specific ages, so the books may arrive at different times during the month.
How much does it cost?
There is no cost to participate in the Imagination Library. Funding for the project comes from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Kenton County Public Library, and five school districts in the county.
How do I register?
- Online at https://imaginationlibrary.com
- In person one of the Kenton County Public Library locations
- By mail by sending the application to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, 3095 Hulbert Ave., Erlanger, KY 41018
We just moved and were enrolled in another county. What do I need to do to ensure that my child keeps receiving books?
Sign in to your child’s Imagination Library account to update your address, which will transfer you to Kenton County’s program.
My child is nearly five. Can we still sign up?
Processing takes approximately two months for new registrants so keep that in mind when signing up.
Find additional answers to questions here.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library General Information
- In 1995, inspired by her father’s inability to read or write, Dolly Parton launches the Imagination Library to foster an early love of reading and learning in her hometown of Sevier Co., TN. Since then, it has become the highest quality, most impactful, instantly recognized book gifting resource that policy makers, funders, early childhood organizations and families trust to inspire a love of reading
- A premier, book-gifting program that mails free books to registered children every month from birth through age 5
- The Foundation covers overhead costs and negotiates wholesale pricing for the books, while local community partners fundraise to cover the cost of mailing and decided-upon wholesale book prices
- Operates in 5 countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland
- Enrolled children from birth receive 60 books by the time they graduate from the Imagination Library
- Book selections includes braille and bilingual book options
- Over 2.5 million free books are gifted each month to children around the world
- Every 1.3 seconds, a book is mailed
- Over 200 million free books have been gifted since the program’s inception in 1995
- Operating programs in every U.S. state and 16 Statewide Programs
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Community Partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 2.5 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age five - at no cost to families. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More®.
The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
