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Dolly Parton’s Free Books for Kids Program Earns Praise from Parents
Country music legend Dolly Parton is making headlines again—not for her iconic hits, but for her heartwarming dedication to children’s literacy. This week, a popular post on the Mommit subreddit shone a spotlight on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, her free book program that has been quietly changing lives for 30 years now. “Hey!!! My son is 2 and we LOVE books and reading,” the original poster wrote. “The Dolly Parton Imagination Library sends a free book in the mail to us every month from newborn to age 5. The books are wonderful. This month we received The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Breakfast, but each month you receive a different new book, aged appropriately for your kiddo.”
The program, which began in 1995 in Dolly’s home state of Tennessee, has grown to reach children in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and Ireland. In 2024 alone, an incredible 36,714,624 books were mailed out, bringing the total to over 264 million since its inception. Each month, the Imagination Library sends free, developmentally appropriate books to children from birth to age 5—no income or qualification requirements needed. You can visit the Imagination Library website to check if you live in an active service area—signing up is as simple as filling out a form.
For families who benefit from the Imagination Library, many emphasized the importance of giving back to ensure the program continues to grow. Dolly and the Dollywood Foundation cover the overhead costs of administration, book selection and shipping logistics, but the cost of books and postage is funded by local organizations in each service area. Every dollar raised locally goes directly toward providing books for children in that community.
Not in a service area? Fear not. Other parents in the comments of the original post chimed in with recommendations for similar free or budget-friendly book programs, like Book Bundler, Little Free Library and the Jewish-run PJ Library.
