Imagination Library benefits children 11/30/2007 Editorial Messenger-Inquirer Imagine the thrill a young child experiences when the mail arrives and, among the advertising fliers, subscription offers and everything else, there's a hardback book -- perhaps "The Little Engine That Could," "Goodnight Gorilla" or "Frog on His Own." Absolutely free. The thrill is repeated once a month, from birth until the child enters kindergarten -- 60 books in all. That is the concept of the Imagination Library, which has been putting great books in the hands of children all over the United States and Canada for a decade. The literacy program, founded by singer, actress and songwriting superstar Dolly Parton, has made its way to Daviess County. The program here has grown quickly. A month ago, 200 children were receiving free books once a month. The number is now 1,107. Spearheaded by several organizations, including the Junior League of Owensboro and The Learning Community, the Imagination Library of Daviess County will supply youngsters with their own libraries of popular books. Parton, who grew up "dirt poor," by her own account, started the program because she wanted children in her home county in eastern Tennessee to have access to books when they were most ready to learn. While the books are free to the children receiving them, they are paid for by local donations. The local organization raises money for the books and mailings, promotes the program and registers the children. The cost is $30 per child. The Dollywood Foundation takes it from there. So far, backers of the program have raised nearly $70,000, some from grants and much of it from individuals. More is needed to enable the program to serve more eligible children. The benefits of parents reading to their children are undisputed and wide-ranging, from creating bonds between parent and child to promoting reading and reasoning skills, not to mention the joy of the children when they are introduced to the familiar stories and characters. Literacy is the foundation of learning and success throughout life. The Imagination Library is a proven, excellent program that can't help but give children a better chance of success in school. We salute those groups and individuals that brought it here and urge others to support it.