Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a literacy programme that sends free books to children, had distributed more than 300 million books by 2025. The programme, which mails one free book a month to children from birth to age five, celebrated its 30th anniversary that year.
Parton, who died this week aged 80, launched the philanthropic effort in 1995 to honour her father, who was unable to read or write. The programme initially started in Tennessee's Sevier County and expanded across the US in 2000, reaching Canada in 2006, the UK in 2007, Australia in 2013, and Ireland in 2019.
Families globally have shared the positive impact of the free books. Harriet Anscombe, a mother from London, noted that the books helped establish a reading routine for her daughter from a young age. Ciara Fernandez Faber in Colorado and Helen Cashell in Dublin also highlighted how the curated books aided their children's reading, social, and emotional development.
Author Selina Brown, whose book was selected for distribution, stated that the programme sent 14,000 copies of her book to children in the UK. She added that the Imagination Library helps families access books without having to choose between essential needs.