Free books for North East children thanks to star Dolly!

THOUSANDS of babies and children in Newcastle are to be given a free book every month thanks to a Newcastle City Council pilot project.

- EMILY GRAY

Every baby living in Newcastle who is born between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026, will be eligible to receive stories sent from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, the world’s biggest book-gifting programme, once a month over a five year period.

On Wednesday, children and families gathered at Newcastle city library to receive the first book - a copy of Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It will be followed by titles including much loved characters like Spot and the Moomins, and fun, sensory books about topics like farm animals, colours, and toys.

Coun Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council, said the initiative could have widespread benefits for children and families. She said: “In Newcastle we want to give every baby the best start in life, and reading regularly to young children can be an extremely powerful part of their development and a great bonding experience.

“Yet less than half of children aged two or under are read to every day or nearly every day by their parents. Giving a child the time and your full attention when reading them a story tells them that they matter.

“It provides comfort and reassurance, confidence and security, and helps them relax. It can help to build self-esteem and their vocabulary, feeds their imagination and can even improve sleeping patterns.