Frequently asked questions

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is the flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting FREE books to children from birth to age five in participating communities. The program is made possible through funding shared by Dolly Parton herself, and local Program Partners.Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly first started the Imagination Library in 1995 to benefit the children within her home county in East Tennessee. Today, her program spans four countries and gifts over 3 million free books each month to children around the world.Families sign their children up for this free book gifting program. One brand-new, age-appropriate book will arrive at the child's door each month, addressed to the child! By meeting families where they live, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library does not place additional burdens on families who might face financial and/or transportation barriers in receiving their books.

Little Explorers of the Plaines is the local nonprofit partner bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to children in Maine Township (ZIP Codes 60016, 60018, and 60068). Our focus is to spread awareness about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, raise funds to sponsor children in our community, and then manage local enrollment.

Each month, children receive high-quality, age appropriate books selected by early childhood experts. Every child receives the same welcome book (The Little Engine that Could), regardless of age, and the following month the age-appropriate titles will start to arrive.Once Little Explorers of the Plaines has reached our community funding goal, it will take 8-10 weeks for your child to receive their first book after signing up. After that, your child will receive a new book each month until their fifth birthday.

As of August 2026, Little Explorers of the Plaines is actively pre-registering local families while we work to secure the community funding required to cover wholesale book costs and shipping fees before our program can launch. We must raise an initial $31,000 to meet our financial obligation for the next two years, ensuring we can provide free monthly books to all children, ages 0-5, living in zip codes 60016, 60018, and 60068.Books will start shipping to registered families 8-10 weeks after Little Explorers of the Plaines hits our community fundraising goal.You can help us speed up this timeline by making a donation and sharing our page.

Families in Maine Township with children from birth to age five who live in ZIP Codes 60016, 60018, and 60068 can register. Primary communities included are in Des Plaines, Rosemont, and Park Ridge.

You may register online at https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/ or you can email admin@littleexplorersoftheplaines.org for assistance.

Yes, absolutely! We encourage parents to register all of their eligible children to receive books. Children born in different calendar years receive different books.Children born in the same year receive the same books, so twins and triplets will receive identical books, and they will each have their own set.

Yes! Enrolled families can choose between two collections of Imagination Library books: a primarily English book collection with several bilingual English/Spanish books, or a 100% bilingual English/Spanish book collection.For more information visit/Para más información, visita https://imaginationlibrary.com/bilingual-program/

There is no cost to families for participating in the Imagination Library, ever.

Little Explorers of the Plaines is funded through a unique 50/50 cost-sharing partnership between the State of Illinois and our local community.The State of Illinois covers 50% of the cost of books and postage, while Little Explorers of the Plaines raises the remaining 50% through donations, grants, sponsorships, and community fundraising. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library manages the program, selects the books, and covers administrative costs, allowing local contributions to go directly toward putting free books into the hands of local children.

Yes! We are registered as a non-profit organization in the state of Illinois and hold federal tax-exempt status as designated by the IRS. Our EIN is 41-4859895.Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We gratefully welcome tax-deductible donations from individuals, community organizations, and businesses. To provide a child a book once a month for an entire year costs approximately $16, with a matching contribution from the State of Illinois. With our projected enrollment of more than 4,674 children, we need $30,982 to operate the program. ALL donations received will go directly toward the cost of books for our local children. Our program is run entirely by volunteers.You can easily and securely donate on the Imagination Library website at https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/?country=US&affid=ILMAINETOWNSHIP. In the Local Program Partner drop-down option, please designate your donation to go to IL-MAINETOWNSHIP, if it’s not already selected.You can also visit the Donate page on our website, and select your preferred donation method.Please contact us to inquire about sponsorship opportunities both for our books’ mailing labels and for special events that promote literacy in our community.We welcome volunteers to help with special fundraisers or registration events. You can also help by liking and sharing our pages on social media. Every engagement truly does count!

Please email us at admin@littleexplorersoftheplaines.org and we’ll be happy to answer your question(s).You can also visit https://support.imaginationlibrary.com/category/251-all-frequently-asked-questions for a full list of frequently asked questions.