NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday, August 25, 2026, gave the world countless songs. But one of her most enduring gifts doesn’t come with a melody. It comes in a mailbox.
Since 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has mailed free books to children from birth until they turn 5 and start kindergarten — and the program has now gifted more than 332 million books to children across five countries.
Parton started the program as a tribute to her father, who could not read.
“I started the Imagination Library as a tribute to my daddy. 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,” Parton said.
Before his death, her father told her the program was among the most meaningful things she had ever done.
“Before he passed away, my daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing that I had ever done,” Parton said.
Her goal was straightforward: put books in children’s hands and spark a love of reading before they ever entered a classroom.
“She came from a family that was poor. She came from a father who was illiterate. And she believed in early education,” Tracey Dill said.
Dill is Chief Community Impact Officer at United Way of Greater Nashville, which has helped deliver the Imagination Library to children across the region since 2013. About 50,000 children in the area receive a book every month — roughly half a million books every year.
“And that’s each and every year. So they get one book every single month in the mail from the moment they are born until they turn five and start kindergarten and get books through their school,” Dill said.
Millions more books are mailed each month to children across five countries.
“We join so many across Tennessee and around the world in remembering Dolly Parton and the extraordinary legacy she leaves behind. Through Imagination Library, Dolly gave generations of children more than books—she gave them the joy of being read to, the confidence to learn and the promise that their community believes in their future. United Way of Greater Nashville is honored to help carry that legacy forward for families across Middle Tennessee,” said Erica Mitchell, CEO of United Way of Greater Nashville.
With Parton’s death, Dill believes her legacy may inspire even greater support for the program she championed.
“I really think this may actually amplify people’s want to give to support something that she believed in to kind of honor her and make sure that that legacy lives on,” Dill said.
September is Imagination Library Month, and Parton’s family is asking people to honor her by supporting the program she loved.
This story was reported on-air by journalist Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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