Through The Imagination Library, Dolly Parton Leaves An Enduring Legacy That Goes Beyond Country Music

on Aug 25, 2026 at 4:47 pm • Updated 5:00 pm CDT

On Aug. 25, country icon Dolly Parton died at the age of 80. While her music and other entertainment ventures will live on, one of her most important initiatives was children's literacy. (Photo credit: Shannon Finney / Getty Images)

“Imagine a world where every child, regardless of their background, was surrounded with books, stories, and a love for reading.”
– Dolly Parton

Last year, country icon Dolly Parton was awarded an honorary Academy Award for her her philanthropic efforts.

One of the most significant aspects of those efforts is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which she established in 1995.

Initially supplying children’s books to families with children under the age of five in her home region of East Tennessee, the Imagination Library expanded into a nationwide initiative.

Now, in light of Dolly Parton’s death at the age of 80 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, take a look back at one of the most enduring aspects of her legacy.

How Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Came About

More than music, films, or even an amusement park, inspiring children to have a passion for reading might be one of the most profound things that Dolly Parton ever pursued with her success.

The Imagination Library transcends one’s taste in music, or their appreciation for film, as it equips children with stories and a foundation of literacy… a skill that someone takes with them for their whole life.

Back in 1988, the Dollywood Foundation was established, and it was designed by Dolly to support the community that she grew up in: Sevier County.

One of the key efforts that the Dollywood Foundation facilitated was the “Buddy Program,” which saw Dolly promise 7th and 8th graders in Sevier County that if they graduated high school, she would gift each of them $500.

The website for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library notes that the “Buddy Program” reduced the dropout rates by 29%, bringing dropouts from 35% to only 6%.

Then, in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Sevier County was established.

“I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my daddy,” Dolly said in a 2024 video statement.

Dolly’s father, Robert Lee Parton, died in 2000, the year that the Imagination Library went on a national scale.

Continuing, Dolly said, “Now, he was one of the wisest men I’ve ever known, but, I knew in my heart, this inability to read probably kept him from seeing all his dreams come true.”

With that in mind, she said that literacy became her mission, adding, “If you can read, you can teach yourself anything.”

Through community partners and others coming together, her Imagination Library has grown over the years to reach children even outside of the United States.

Notably, in 2023, the Imagination Library gave out its 200 millionth book.

As of 2024, the Imagination Library said that one in seven children in the United States are part of the program, receiving free books in the mail each month.

Speaking on the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton said:

“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”

Watch Dolly speak on what inspired the Imagination Library, here:

Watch Dolly Parton read her 1994 children’s book, Coat of Many Colors, here.

How To Register A Child For The Imagination Library

Any child, from birth up until they turn five years old, can receive a free age-appropriate book in the mail each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Signing a child up for the Imagination Library is easy.

Visit the following website to check for local avalability: https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/

Once your child is registered, the books will begin arriving.

Learn more about the Imagination Library at its official website, here.