Dolly Parton’s legacy: Imagination Library has sent over 300 million books
The Imagination Library free book program, founded by Dolly Parton in 1995, had sent children more than 300 million books by 2025. As BBC News reports, the project sends one book each month to children from birth to age five and reaches more than 3 million children in different countries.
A program in honor of her father
Parton launched Imagination Library in her home county of Sevier, Tennessee, to honor her father. Due to a difficult childhood in Appalachia, he was unable to finish school or learn to read and write. In an open letter on the program’s website, Parton wrote that she wanted to inspire children to love reading.
In 2000, the initiative expanded across the United States. It began operating in Canada in 2006, in the United Kingdom the following year, in Australia in 2013, and in Ireland in 2019. According to the organization, as of 2025, one book was mailed every 78 seconds.
Books for families in different countries
Harriet Anscombe, a mother of two from London, said she enrolled her daughter in the program when she was three months old. According to her, the free books helped make bedtime reading a regular family habit from an early age.
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Colorado resident Ciara Fernandez Faber recalled that her son loved Parton’s book I Am A Rainbow, dedicated to emotions, for many years. The boy called the singer the “book queen.” In Ireland, Helen Cashell said the program’s books addressed different types of families, courage, bullying, and identities.
Supporting children and authors
Paige Stewart, a mother of twins from Sydney, said her daughters had speech delays and learning difficulties. According to her, she noticed changes after the second book: the girls learned colors, and one of the first words of one of them was “orange.” Stewart also said the books contributed to the children’s joy in reading.
Children’s author Selina Brown, whose book My Rice Is Best was selected for Imagination Library, said that 14,000 copies of it were sent to children in the United Kingdom. According to her, free book distribution is important for families that have to choose between basic needs and buying literature.
Parton died this week at the age of 80. She called Imagination Library a tribute to her father and wrote that before his death, he told her that this program was probably the most important thing she had done.
