F A Q 

Who pays for the books and postage?

Our community! River Valley United Way pays for books with proceeds from our annual fundraising campaign, grants and donations.
Ideally, we would like to reach 100% of eligible children in the River Valley. We can't make significant steps toward that goal without your help. 
Donate today, text RVUW to 26989, or Click here to give now.

Is my child eligible to register?

If they are aged birth to 5 years old and live with their guardian in Pope, Johnson or Yell County they are eligible. If your child is within 90 days of their 5th birthday, they cannot be registered due to book processing time. 
Children must be registered ONLY by the parent or guardian they live with.
Books must be mailed to the child's home address.

I am expecting a baby; when can I sign them up?

Congratulations! You can sign your baby up with your local affiliate as soon as they are born.  

How do I know if my child was accepted into the program?

If you provide an email address with your registration, you will be notified via email when the registration is approved or entered into our system.  If you do not have an email address, you will need to contact our office to find out more information, but it does take 8-12 weeks for books to start arriving after approval. 

When will my child begin receiving books?

Dolly mails out books to almost 2 million children a month and must place book orders a month in advance to do this. Depending on when you register your child, it may take up to eight to twelve weeks for the first book to arrive. After that, the books will come every month. 
For example, if you registered your child on January 6th and were approved by your local affiliate in January, you would receive your first book in March.

Can my child receive books at their grandparent's house too?

No. Since the books are paid for with donations, we want to maximize the number of children receiving books. Paying for two sets of books for the same child keeps another child from receiving books. If your child is found to have a duplicate account, both accounts will be removed from the database and you will need to re-register with only the child's home address. You won't receive a notification in advance and this will result in the child missing books due to processing time. Please make sure your family knows that your child or children are already receiving these amazing books!

I heard that some local Imagination Library programs stop registration or close because of a lack of funds. Why doesn't Dolly do something about this or give them the money needed to continue the program?

The Imagination Library is made possible through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local communities.  While Dolly and the Dollywood Foundation cover many overhead costs and administration needs, the regional programs secure the funding to cover the cost of books and postage.
River Valley United Way covers the book and mailing costs for Pope, Johnson & Yell Counties. Dolly and the Foundation pay all other administrative expenses (overhead, selection of books, database, publisher negotiations, and fulfillment of the over 2 million books mailed monthly to five countries). By having the overhead expenses covered, all monies raised locally go straight back into the community allowing more children to receive books each month.   

I have twins, will they always receive the same book each month?

Books are mailed by age group. Every child born in the same year receives the same books appropriate for their age. Twins will receive the same book each month. However, because the books are addressed to each child, they will both have built their own library of quality books when they graduate from the program.

Do all children receive the same books?

Each child within an age group receives the same monthly book.
We ensure children receive an appropriate book by allocating them to an age group based on their birth year. For example, children born in 2024 will receive board books with minimal text focusing on nurture and attachment. In contrast, a child born in 2020 will receive a softcover picture book covering more complex concepts.  A child enrolled from birth to their fifth birthday will build their own home library of up to 60 books. Learn more on our website: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/themes-concepts/

Are the books age- appropriate?

Yes, all books within the program are age-appropriate and are selected by early childhood experts. More information about our Book Committee can be found at www.imaginationlibrary.com. Select "Choosing Our Books" under your country's menu.  

Every child receives the same welcome book, regardless of age, and the age-appropriate titles will start to arrive the following month.

How do I get my login information?

If you registered your child online or an email address was added to your child's record upon registration, this will be your username.  If you do not know the password, please request a new password using the New Password/Forgot Password link on the login page. If your link has expired or is invalid, you can request a new link at any time by visiting www.imaginationlibrary.com/bos.

I registered my child and we never received a book or we receive books sporadically. 

Books are mailed in groups throughout the month. Depending on your child's age group, their book could be mailed as late as the last week of the month. If you haven't received their monthly book by the first week of the following month, please contact our office so that we can trouble shoot.

If your child receives books sporadically (missing a month then receiving a book the next month) the issue is likely with your letter carrier. Please contact your post master to let them know of the issue.

Can I pick up books that my child is missing or that were not delivered?

Since the books are mailed directly from Dolly, we don't have an inventory of books and cannot replace missed books.

I’m moving, what do I need to do? 

When planning a move, contact River Valley United Way and provide them with your new address. To find your new local affiliate, visit the website below. Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee the program will be available in your new neighborhood. 
USA: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/find-my-program/