EATON — The Preble County District Library is honoring Dolly Parton’s birthday with a weeklong celebration of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

Beginning on Parton’s birthday, Jan. 19, and running through Thursday, Jan. 26, families can stop by a local library branch for coloring pages, stickers, and information about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ohio.

In partnership with United Way of the Greater Dayton Area and The Dayton Foundation, the PCDL has made it easy to put book into the hands of children. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is available to all children in Preble County from birth to age five, regardless of income status. The titles are specially selected, age-appropriate, high-quality books that are personalized with each child’s name and mailed directly to the home each month. This gifting experience makes books exciting and shows the child someone is thinking of them. It is a free gift to the family, too.

By the age of three, a child’s brain is already 80 percent developed, and, by the time a child enters kindergarten, they must already know thousands of words to succeed in the classroom. Reading aloud to a child and giving them access to books is the best way to ensure they are prepared to enter kindergarten.

A child enrolled in the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program at birth can receive up to 60 books by the time he or she turns five years old, setting them up for success in kindergarten and beyond. “It’s a simple but a very important thing we can do for our kids,” library officials said.

Since its countywide adoption in March 2020, more than 30,000 books have been mailed out to children in Preble County. Currently, Preble County has over 1,000 active children signed up, and almost 600 children have graduated from the program.

Across the state, over 50 percent of eligible children are enrolled in Imagination Library, and over 10 million books have been mailed to children in Ohio since 2019.

Families can enroll online at www.ohioimaginationlibrary.org/enroll. It takes between 6-9 weeks to receive the first book. All children will receive The Little Engine that Could as the first book, regardless of their age. Their second book and those after will be based on their age.

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come is the final book children receive upon their fifth birthday. Following their fifth birthday, children will be graduated from the program. If a child will turn five in the next two months, they should not enroll as it can take 6-9 weeks to receive their first book.

The Preble County District Library sends a special “thank you” to local businesses and individuals for their generous investment and support in this program.