Children listened intently as Indiana First Lady Maureen Braun began reading “The Little Engine that Could” on Thursday during storytime at the Gary Public Library and Cultural Center.

It marked Braun’s first official visit to Gary since her husband, Gov. Mike Braun, became governor in January. She received a tour of the library from its director, Dianna Morrow, and chatted freely with attendees.

The classic “The Little Engine that Could” is the first book children receive when their parents sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides a free book each month to children ages birth to 5.

A cardboard cutout of Parton holding a book loomed behind Braun as she read to the children.

Her visit celebrated a milestone, marking the expansion of the Imagination Library to every

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