Since founding the Imagination Library in 1995, Dolly Parton has spent nearly three decades sending free books to children all over the world. The program began serving only families in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee, but eventually expanded across the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Ireland.
As of July 2025, the Imagination Library has given away over 280 million books, with more than 3 million children receiving books in Central Florida alone. Dolly once said: “I want every child to grow up with a library of their own.” It was a dream born from her own childhood, when little Dolly had few books to read but understood the power of imagination.
Among the millions of thank-you letters Dolly has received over the years, one brought her to tears. It came from a 7-year-old girl battling late-stage cancer. She wrote that each month when she received a new book from Dolly, she imagined stepping into the world of its pages — a place with no illness, only adventures, friends, and laughter.
The girl’s mother shared that the last book they received sat beside her hospital bed. Even as her strength faded, she tried to read a few pages before falling asleep, telling her mother: “When I’m gone, send this book back to Miss Dolly, so she’ll know how far I got.”
Recalling the moment she read that letter, Dolly said, “I cried like a baby. We send books to plant dreams, but sometimes those dreams come back and melt your heart.”
Over 280 million books have been sent, but for Dolly, perhaps the greatest gift of all is that small letter — proof that music and books can reach the deepest places in the human heart.
🎵 Suggested listening: Coat of Many Colors – Dolly Parton
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