My First Bookshelf ensures every child has access to the magic of reading.

My First Bookshelf is one of Calgary Public Library’s most popular early learning programs, with over one thousand children on the waitlist.

Programs like this one are a key priority for the Library. As 90% of brain development occurs before a child reaches their fifth birthday, opportunities to develop and grow their literacy skills help prepare them for school and set them up for continued success in lifelong learning.

My First Bookshelf is offered in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, supporting critical early literacy development by helping families build a home library of children’s books for free, ensuring the magic of reading is never out of reach.

Your generous support will help create space in the My First Bookshelf program for children waiting for their turn, sharing books with thousands more young Calgarians and fostering a lifelong love of reading. A gift of $82.80—or $6.90 per month—provides a year’s worth of books for one child in the program. Thank you!