AKRON, Ohio — The Akron-Canton Airport is teaming up with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Stark County to turn traveling time into story time. 

Young children can now pick out a free book from a bookcase located in the children's Step2 PlayPort in the main concourse of the Akron-Canton Airport.

“Our goal is to always provide an exceptional travel experience for our guests,” said Renato Camacho, president and CEO of Akron-Canton Airport, in a news release. “Offering books for families enhances our commitment to creating a welcoming and enriching environment while reinforcing our role as a community partner.”

The airport said the partnerships aims to encourage families to use travel time as a way to engage young children with shared reading and learning opportunities, as research has shown that reading with children strengthens language skills and helps build emotional connections.

The bookcase includes both English and Spanish books, and they can be used in the PlayPort area or on the plane.

“This partnership aligns with Stark Library’s mission to promote literacy beyond traditional library walls,” said Mary Ellen Icaza, Stark Library executive director, in a news release. “Books have the power to transport young minds, just as airplanes transport people. By providing books at the Akron-Canton Airport, we help families turn travel time into story time while making the journey more enjoyable and meaningful.”

The Ohio Dolly Parton's Imagination Library offers every child a book at no cost, from birth to age 5. The children receive a book in the mail each month until their fifth birthday. 

In Stark County, the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library branch is managed by Stark Library as the Local Program partner. Both the Stark Library and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio pay for 50% of the monthly mailing cost for the program in the county.