Nearly a dozen characters that grace the pages of many children’s favorite books will come to life at Moreland Park this Saturday during the Imagination Library of Daviess County’s Storybook Picnic.
The event will run from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, filling the park with activities such as face painting, balloon artists, snacks, and book giveaways. In the event of rain, the picnic will move inside the park’s shelter.
There will also been an booth for parents to receive information about the Owensboro and Daviess County public preschool options, services at the library, and more. They can also learn how to sign their child up for the Imagination Library program.
The Imagination Library is a program sponsored by Dolly Parton that provides one book per month via mail to every child registered from birth to 5 years old. While the Dollywood Foundation selects the books and does the purchasing and mailing, the local organization pays for the books.
Diane Bowers, chair of the local Imagination Library program, said approximately 100 kids age out of every month. She said the organization aims to continue improving children’s kindergarten readiness through the program.
“They need to be ready to start kindergarten. Many kids are not because they’re not exposed to books. Reading is so fundamental to everything. If they struggle with reading in school, they’ll struggle in every subject,” Bowers said.
Bowers said the program has grown substantially over the last few months, despite the number of children aging out.
“We currently serve about 3,500 kids here in Daviess County and are excited that there is a program in every county in Kentucky now,” Bowers said.
