WILMINGTON, DE - Governor John Carney, First Spouse Tracey Quillen Carney, and the Delaware Libraries on Monday announced that a bilingual English/Spanish book collection option will soon be available for Delaware families.

“There is nothing more important than ensuring our children learn to read by third grade so they can read to learn for the rest of their lives.

The Imagination Library program provides free books to children monthly from birth to five, creating their own personal library. Today’s announcement will hopefully help us reach even more Delaware families with high-quality children’s books,” said Governor John Carney. “Thank you to Dolly Parton and the Imagination Library team, Dr. Norman, my wife Tracey, and the partners across the state that have made this program a success. We look forward to seeing additional families register.”

Starting today, June 10, 2024, existing and new registrations for the Imagination Library Program will have the option to select which collection of books they would like to receive: English (Mostly English books with an occasional bilingual English/Spanish book) or bilingual English/Spanish (All bilingual English/Spanish books).

“We’ve been looking forward to the bilingual expansion of the Imagination Library program and are grateful to the leadership at the Dollywood Foundation, as well as our Delaware Library leaders, for their commitment to make it happen,” said First Spouse Tracey Quillen Carney. “Early language experiences are so essential to healthy brain development and school readiness. Those interactive experiences also contribute to healthy attachment between children and their parents and other caring adults, which is another essential foundation for a promising future.”

Both collections are specially selected by the national book selection committee to inspire a love of reading, as they always have. Some books will be the same in both collections, but there will be differences in what books are mailed out between the collections each month. You can find a full list of books on the Imagination Library website.

“Every Delaware preschooler is eligible for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and the bilingual option is also available, and of value, to every preschooler as well.  Please ensure that every preschooler you know is registered,” said Dr. Annie Norman, State Librarian for the Delaware Libraries. “Being read to at an early age is a foundation for literacy and for success throughout life.”

Governor Carney first announced a pilot launch of the Imagination Library program in five Delaware school districts in his 2020 State of the State address, with the Division of Libraries partnering with 13 local public libraries to make the program available to families within the pilot districts. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the program’s statewide partners and supporters, the Imagination Library has reached full statewide coverage in Delaware.

Dolly Parton visited Delaware in May of 2022 to celebrate the success of the program in the State. View the program on Governor Carney’s YouTube.