Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which posts children a free book every month until their fifth birthday, is to double the number of London boroughs it covers. The scheme, which runs in five boroughs, will expand to 10 boroughs. It comes a month after the country singer died at the age of 80.
She set up the library in 1995 in tribute to her father, who could not read or write. Funded by the Postcode Lottery, the expansion of the scheme will make 157,000 children eligible. Harriet Sedrick-Ugo, from south London, said the monthly books had given her four-year-old daughter Sienna "a lot more confidence".
"We read together every day and that's been made possible because we get a book once a month," she said. "She loves reading for pleasure because we have so many books at home from the Imagination Library." Sedrick-Ugo, an early years educator, said the expansion would take pressure off families. "Buying books can be quite expensive, so if they're going to be getting it for free, that would be something a lot of families can benefit from," she said.
She added: "I think it's the kindest initiative ever and we are so very grateful to have something so meaningful gifted to us." The scheme is universal, meaning every child in a participating area can sign up regardless of their family's income. The Dollywood Foundation says more than seven million books have been delivered to children in the UK. Jeff Conyers, president of the Dollywood Foundation, said Parton would have been "incredibly proud" to see it grow in the capital.
"Dolly always wanted the Imagination Library to be something that lived on for generations into the future," he said. "She was constantly pushing us about how we get the Imagination Library to more and more children and more and more families." The announcement comes amid concern about how often young children are read to. Figures cited by the organisers suggest 41% of children aged four and under are read to frequently, down from 64% in 2012.
Teachers have also reported that 28% of children starting reception cannot use books properly, with some trying to swipe or tap the pages as if they were a screen. Clara Govier, managing director of the Postcode Lottery, said: "Dolly understood the extraordinary power of something very simple: a child, a grown-up and a book." The expansion is being marked with a celebration at the British Library ahead of Give Like Dolly Day on 25 September. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external.
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