Children’s librarians across Missouri encourage parents to sign their young children up for a program aimed at delivering new books for them to read and enjoy each month.

Marshall Public Library children’s librarian Teresa Gezella says Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program will mail a book to children under five at no cost to parents and guardians.

Gezella says programs like Imagination Library encourage parents to develop a lifelong appreciation for reading in their children.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is supported statewide by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Additionally, Gezella notes that the Marshall Public Library, along with several other libraries in the region, will host a summer reading program called “Color Our World”, which will also focus on the arts.