As you enroll your children in summer reading programs don’t forget about the youngest members of your family. Even babies like books!

Did you know?

● Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library offers free books to children from birth to age 5.

● The Imagination Library recommends reading to your child from the moment they are born.

● It may seem silly to read to the very young, but this increases bonding with your child and establishes an important foundation for early learning.

● Children that grow into avid readers were read to every day from a very young age.

● Read for short periods with your baby in your arms or on your lap. Point to pictures and respond enthusiastically to baby’s coos and sounds.

● When your baby is fussy, take a break and read them a book to help them calm and settle. These snuggles are likely as important as the reading!

● Set up a space with your child’s books where they can be easily accessible along with their toys.

● The National Commission on Reading reports “the most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home before beginning school.”

Contact the Lisbon Public Library or Mount Vernon Cole Library to enroll your child in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Or ask at your local physician’s office. You won’t believe the excitement when your child receives their monthly book from “Aunt Dolly!”