Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

York County Public Library announces our partnership with The DeGood Foundation to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to Peninsula families. Each month, the Imagination Library will mail a new, age-appropriate book to each child registered in the program from birth to age five.  There is no cost to your family.

How it Works

Children under the age of five residing in York County, Newport News, Hampton, James City County, Williamsburg, Poquoson, and Isle of Wight, are eligible to participate. Parents/Guardians can register their child at the Tabb Library, Yorktown Library (when it reopens) or online to receive free books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Return your completed registration form to the Youth Services desk at the Library.  Books will begin arriving at your home eight to ten weeks after your registration form has been received and will continue until your child turns five or you move out of the covered area. If your address changes, notify The DeGood Foundation at 11817 Canon Blvd, Suite 402, Newport News, VA 23606 or by email.

All titles in the Imagination Library are published by Penguin Random House and carefully selected by the Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee, a panel of experts in early childhood literacy. The committee meets annually to review and refresh the book list, drawing on their years of experience and education. This ensures each book is age-appropriate and the list features a broad range of titles, authors, and genres. Some bilingual books (English/Spanish) are available. View a full list of 2023's books, including the bilingual options, by visiting The Imagination Library.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has partnered with American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (APH) to make many of the books in her program available in braille and audio format so that blind and visually impaired children can also benefit from this program. Visit APH to learn how to get print/braille or audio books for your child.

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 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.

The program has been widely researched and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.

About The DeGood Foundation

The DeGood Foundation was founded by Kyle DeGood in July of 2017 in an effort to address issues with mental health, children's illiteracy, and care within local hospitals within the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. We truly believe that children are the future of the world and have the potential to make the world a better and brighter place. Children are the foundation of our future. We aim to support that foundation with our literacy, health, and education programs to give children the best possible chance at their education, health, and lives.  For more information visit The DeGood Foundation.