A total of 216 local babies received books from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in 2022 to get them on the reading path early.
Thanks to a collaboration between Uniting Way Australia, Child and Family Services and Kempsey Shire Libraries, 1081 picture books were distributed into the community in 2022.
Kempsey Shire Libraries Childrens' Librarian, Melanie Webb, said she was thrilled with the interest in the program.
"It is such a wonderful opportunity for our young families to get their little ones loving books from birth. Reading to your young children can help with their listening skills, their creativity and their vocabulary," Ms Webb said.
"The program has been so successful that I'm happy to say it will continue in 2023. Any baby born in 2023 that is living in the Shire can be enrolled to receive a book from Dolly each month."
The program is designed to encourage regular reading from birth and encourage lifelong literacy. A book is delivered monthly until the child is 5 years old and are free to keep. Books are selected by experts to ensure they are age appropriate and there's a different book sent every month.
Find out how you can register your baby for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
