Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

A highly qualified team of educators, early childhood specialists, and children’s literature experts select high quality, age appropriate books for children who are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to receive each month.  Each year, a few new titles are added while a few books are deleted from the collection. Of utmost importance is to establish in each child the love of reading and learning; regard for diversity of people, their roles, culture, and environment; promotion of self-esteem and confidence, and appreciation of art and aesthetics. Each series of books contains certain characteristics specific to each age so they are developmentally appropriate.

Year 1   Vision – bright, big, colorful.  Touch – board pages. Rhyme and rhythm. Simple – easy to use. Minimal text – point and say. Playful sound.  Nurture – attachment- lullaby themes.
Examples of books sent during the first year:
Giggles With Daddy
Max’s First Word
Whose Baby Am I?
My First Songs
Gingerbread Man

Year 2  Continue concepts from year one and build upon them. Repetition and predictability – generate language.  Motor skills. “Self-help” activities – things children can do, things familiar in their daily life. Use of real photo illustration. Body awareness. Nursery rhymes.  Colors, letters, numbers.
Examples of books sent during the second year:
Spot Goes to the Library
My Farm Friends
Red Wagon
Pouch!
Good Night Gorilla!

Year 3  Wordless books – build your own story (reader and child).  Values and character issues – fear, conflict, love, safety. Colors, letters, numbers. Nursery rhymes.
Examples of books sent during the third year:
Llama, Llama, Red Pajama
Mine-O-Saur
One Foot, Two Feet
My No, No, No Day
The Wild Little Horse

Year 4  More complex stories – hero, complication, resolution. Diversity of others – faces, environment, okay to be different. Play, humor, fun. Nursery rhymes and poetry.
Examples of books sent during the fourth year:
Meet Me at the Moon
Llama Mad at Mama
Pretend
Old Bear and His Cub
I Know a Wee Piggy

Year 5   School preparation and readiness. Use rebus (pictures used for words). Science – non-fiction.  Folk tales.  Thank you, appreciation. Rhymes and poetry.
Examples of books sent during the fifth year:
The Snowy Day
Born Yesterday
One Cool Friend
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
What’s the Big Idea, Molly?