By Zoe Elrod, Internal Communications Coordinator 

In Oklahoma County, more than 18,000 children receive free books each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library thanks to The Friends of the Library, the Library Endowment Trust, and the support of our community. This beloved program sends high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five, helping build early literacy skills, nurture self-esteem and ignite a lifelong love of reading. 

Each new enrollment is a small but powerful investment in a child’s future. With a steady rise in both registrations and graduates, the Imagination Library is transforming homes across the county. And now, the program is even more inclusive, with the launch of a bilingual English/Spanish book option. 

For Amber Arterburn, whose home library is Southern Oaks, the program has been a lifeline for her son, Jeremiah. She learned about it through a Family Expectations parenting class and signed up immediately.  

“I wanted to take advantage of getting books from birth all the way until five,” she said.  

Amber’s motivation came from seeing the challenges other kids face.  

“I see so many children behind; they cannot hold a pencil; they cannot sound out their letters,” she said. “It’s something you have to start early.” 

Her own childhood experience with books gave her a clear sense of their power.  

“Books opened up a whole world that I didn’t have access to growing up in rural Oklahoma,” she said. “It let me explore different realms, ideas, and points of view.” 

Now, she’s building that world for her son one book at a time. Their cozy reading nook, complete with a Spider-Man bean bag chair, is part of their nightly routine.  

“We always make time during the evening before bed to have a nice bedtime story,” Amber said. 

Little Jeremiah’s current favorite is “Who Says Quack?" Amber Arterburn said he always tries to mimic the duck sounds and points to the duck on the page. She added that receiving books from DPIL has helped him recognize sounds and words more quickly and easily. 

Arterburn also said she has been impressed by the range of books they’ve received, from board books to multilingual stories on animals, numbers, and colors. But most of all, she values their physical presence.  

“Having a book you can hold in your hands is so much different than having a digital library,” she said. “It’s a real, tangible object he can revisit when he gets older.” 

More than anything, the program has brought them closer.  

“We spend more time together. I get good quality time with my son,” she said. 

Amber encourages other families to enroll, feeling personally connected to the mission and determined to ensure no child misses out on the joy of reading. 

“You’re doing your child a huge favor for their long-term literacy, for their education.”