On behalf of a private donor, the Amarillo Area Foundation has awarded the Amarillo Public Library a Texas Panhandle Library Reading Initiative for Young Children grant.

The grant program is designed to enhance book and media materials available for children up to the age of eight and libraries throughout the top 26 counties in the Texas Panhandle were encouraged to apply. APL’s $1,750 award will be used to increase the size of the library’s collection of Wonderbook and Vox titles.

These print books include a built-in, ready-to-play audiobook, allowing young readers to read along with a book while listening to the story. It’s an interactive format that doesn’t involve a screen!

Director of Library Services Amanda Barrera says the books are incredibly popular with kids and parents and the library is grateful for the extra funds to expand the collection. “We’ve offered titles from Wonderbooks and Vox for several years now, and they are hard to keep on the shelves. We appreciate this investment in early education.”

Amarillo Public Library has already started ordering new titles to supplement its collection of interactive books. Patrons can find the books by asking a library staff member for assistance.