Who stays up until the wee hours of the night to finish "just one more chapter"?
Who gets so involved with their books that they are actually sad when they are over?
Who has found themselves at the 24-hour superstore at midnight because they have to start the next book in a series right now? (I realize this last one is now unnecessary thanks to e-readers, but I still find myself doing it.)
All of these apply to me. My love of reading started at a very young age and continued through-out my entire life. When most kids wanted to be outside during the summer months, climbing, playing, exploring… well, I was holed up in my room with the latest installment of "The Babysitter's Club" or "Sweet Valley High".
Even now, I can barely tear myself away from the last book in the "Hunger Games" series. Yes, I know - I'm a bit behind. I should probably be reading "50 Shades of Grey" right now, huh?
The love of books is definitely something I want to pass on to Abbey, and already the size of her library is rivaling my own. One of the ways we were able to build her library so quickly was through an awesome program sponsored by Miss Dolly Parton.
The Imagination Library was launched in 1996, for the children in her home county in East Tennessee. The idea was simple: give every child the opportunity to read. The program soon took off and is now offered around the country, and around the world. This is not an income-based program; any child, anywhere can join. All you need to do is sign up, and every month a new, age-appropriate book will be mailed directly to your home.
This is a program I strongly believe in, and support here in my own community. Every child deserves the chance to loose themselves in a book, the way I still do today.
So please, sign your child up, spread the word, and get involved. There's so much to discover in the pages… why wait?
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