Pittsburgh expands efforts to get free books to kids through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Pittsburgh is expanding its effort to get free books into the hands of kids through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. 

Author Victor Hugo once said, "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." In Carrick on Thursday, Pittsburgh's first lady, Katie O'Connor, echoed the literary legend, saying, "Literacy and learning are critical infrastructure leading to a brighter future."

That brighter future just got a lot of help as the Benter Foundation, a philanthropic group, is donating $1.8 million in an effort to get more books into little hands.

Reading Ready Pittsburgh executive director Dr. Mary Denison will be in charge of making sure those dollars lead to lifetime readers, with a little help from American music icon Dolly Parton.

Parton, a long-time literacy advocate, created the Imagination Library to give free books to kids and has been working with Reading Ready Pittsburgh for eight years. Right now, about 30% of kids under 5 in Pittsburgh are enrolled in the Imagination Library. The goal is to get every kid signed up.

Keya Lowry says her daughter's involvement in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library through Reading Ready Pittsburgh enabled her little girl to be reading above a first-grade level on her first day of kindergarten. Lowry says reading truly is fundamental.

"It's a lifelong tool," she said. "It's a school we all need."

If you are interested in enrolling in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library or Reading Ready Pittsburgh, you can learn more online.