Meet Elliana: Dungog Shire’s inaugural Imagination Library graduate

A chance meeting for Kristen, stopped in the street one day by the Chairperson of Dungog Early Literacy, Anne Higgins, had a profound impact on her family.

Anne asked the single mum of five if she wanted to enrol her youngest daughter, Elliana, who lives with a hearing impairment, in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library book program. 

Now at age five, Elliana is the very first graduate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Dungog Shire.

A longtime love of books

Kristen has always loved reading, but like for so many busy families, reading could sometimes feel like one more thing to fit into an already full day. 

There have also been some health challenges for her six-year-old son Lucas, who has autism and sensory traits, and finding books that suited both his intellect and his needs could be overwhelming and library visits stressful.

However the arrival of one carefully chosen book each month helped shift some of that stress, and reading became less about finishing the book and more about connection, Kristen notes.

A book of her own

As Elliana grew older, she delighted in greeting the postie when the books arrived, thrilled to receive something addressed to her by name. 

The impact of the program is also very clear to Kristen, with her daughter asking to read all the time, not only at home but at preschool and playgroup too. 

Kristen has also seen unexpected developmental benefits for her son, with Lucas reading to his sister and strengthening his own awareness of words and speech in the process. 

The inclusive impact of shared reading

One book in particular stands out for Kristen’s family.

Through her volunteer work with Dungog Early Literacy, Kristen created a Baby Book Club – a space where parents, carers and children gather to read the latest Imagination Library books together and socialise. 

While reading the book Embrace Your Body, the children learned to sign the story together. 

Watching the children sign and sing in a circle was the moment Kristen realised the program was doing something deeper than improving literacy. It was signalling acceptance of her daughter’s hearing impairment – both to her daughter and to the other children.

“It fostered such a beautiful inclusive connection in the room, and made me realise that

we are all important and we all matter,” Kristen said. 

“Reading together creates connection and helps us embrace our differences.”

 

Connecting regional communities

In regional communities like Dungog, where isolation and feelings of disconnection can be a challenge, the simple act of a book arriving each month serves as an important connection for local children.

“It keeps that sense of community and family connection alive,” Kristen says.

 

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