the imagination library

Dolly Parton is a rags-to-rhinestones story. She grew up in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, a small town nestled against the Great Smoky Mountains. Music ran deep in her family. From singing barefoot on the front porch of her Tennessee mountain home to commanding the stage in six-inch heels, Dolly Parton is a larger-than-life living legend with a heart as big as her dreams. She has won many awards in the entertainment sector. In 1995 she reached outside of the music business and started her Imagination Library to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. The new program gave each child a specially selected book each month. By mailing high quality age appropriate books directly to their homes, Dolly wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.

The Imagination Library’s first book order in 1995 totaled just over 1,700 books. Today, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends more than one million books per month to children around the world inspiring them to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.

While babysitting my little grandson, I noticed stickers on the backs of many of his books. They are from the Imagination Library and they are all wonderful books. He has so many from one of my favorite children’s authors, Eric Carle, and it’s all thanks to Dolly Parton getting books into children’s hands starting 29 years ago. Think of how many children she has blessed!

"My dream was to make as many people happy as I could in this life." ~ Dolly Parton