Country music star Dolly Parton launches Scottish book giveaway project
07 Mar 2011
The Imagination Library scheme will see youngsters in care receive a free book every month until their fifth birthday
Country music legend Dolly Parton has launched a project to give free books to vulnerable youngsters in Scotland.
The Imagination Library scheme will see children in care given a free book every month until their fifth birthday.
The initiative, which is being run in partnership with the Scottish government and the Scottish Book Trust, will involve over 3,000 children.
It is part of the star's Dollywood Foundation project, which began in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1995.
The project proved so successful that it has since spread across the US and UK.
The Scottish project, however, is the first to run on a national basis, purely for children in care.
Parton said: "I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful effort. When I started the Imagination Library in my hometown, I never dreamed that one day we would be helping Scottish kids.
"Much of my music has been inspired by Scotland so it's only right that we are now in a position to bring more joy into the lives of the nation's looked after children.
"From the bottom of my country heart, I want to thank the Scottish government and the Scottish Book Trust for asking us to be part of something so special."
Children's Minister Adam Ingram said the scheme aimed to ensure children in care were given some of the same life chances as others.
He added: "Research also shows that children whose parents and carers talk to them frequently have better language skills than those who do not and that the presence of books in the home can have an important impact on long-term achievement."
The books for the Imagination Library programme will be selected by a committee of experts in childhood development, literacy and education.
ISBN: 9780399247330
By Jason Taylors
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