Children under five years old who live in Tazewell County are now eligible to receive a free book each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program in partnership with Tazewell County Libraries. The free books are offered to all children under five in the county, regardless of family income. 

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. 

Alissa Williams, Director of the Morton Public Library said, “Libraries are committed to education and learning. As research shows, early literacy skills lead to success in school. We want all children to have easy access to books, so partnering with Imagination Library made sense.” 

Tazewell County’s Imagination Library program is funded by donations. The Tazewell County Freemasonry has partnered with the libraries to provide initial funding with 11 lodges donating funds to local libraries in support of the project. Other donors include Morton Rotary, East Peoria Women’s Club, Friends of Fondulac District, Retired Teachers of Tazewell County, Kiwanis Club of East Peoria, Friends of the Pekin Public Library, and Kiwanis Club of Pekin.

Anyone can donate to support the Tazewell County Imagination Library program. A fund has been established at the Morton Community Foundation and donations can be sent to Morton Community Foundation ATTN: Imagination Library Fund, 135 S. First Avenue, Morton, IL 61550.

Genna Buhr, Director of Fondulac District Library added, “This program allows Tazewell County libraries another avenue to share the joy of books and the gift of reading in our community. We can’t wait to get books in the hands of children throughout Tazewell County.” 

Children must be registered by a parent or guardian in order to receive the books. There is no charge to register or receive the books. Age-appropriate books are mailed directly to the homes of registered children each month. Parents or guardians may register their children online by filling out a brief form at imaginationlibrary.com. Registered children will begin receiving books at their home address about eight to 10 weeks after their forms are received. The first book distributed is always the children’s classic, “The Little Engine That Could.”  

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.