The Library That Dolly Built

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a literacy initiative created in 1995 by American singer and philanthropist Dolly Parton through the Dollywood Foundation. Its purpose is simple but powerful: to encourage children to develop a love of reading from an early age by giving them books for free. The programme sends high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to the age of five, regardless of their family’s income.

What began as a local initiative in Sevier County, Tennessee, has grown into an international programme operating in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. The programme reached its 200-millionth book in 2023 and, in 2022, was already mailing two million books every month worldwide.

The educational interest of the initiative lies not only in providing access to books but also in creating a relationship with reading before children even start school. The books are selected according to children's developmental stages: the youngest children receive books designed around images, sounds, rhythm and simple language, while older children are introduced to increasingly complex stories, poetry, science, values and preparation for school. Audio and Braille editions are also available.

https://imaginationlibrary.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNri2gb9jYk&t=1s