Every child born in Southwark in 2016 will be eligible to receive a free book each month until their fifth birthday, thanks to country singer Dolly Parton.

The Imagination Library scheme was originally set up by Dolly in her hometown in Tennessee as a tribute to her father, who she says was an intelligent, hardworking man who never got the opportunity to read or write.

The £750,000 Southwark scheme, a partnership between the country singer and DialAFlight, is the first to be borough-wide in London and was launched on 19 January – Dolly’s birthday.

In total around 5,000 children will each receive 60 books as part of the new reading scheme.

The idea is to give children their own library of quality books and to encourage parents to look at books with their baby right from the start to stimulate bonding and communication, and of course the child’s imagination.

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