CultureHow ‘Book Queen’ Dolly Parton inspired millions of children to read

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails one free book each month to children from birth to age five. Started in her Tennessee home county and later expanded internationally, the programme had distributed more than 300 million books by 2025. Families say the carefully selected stories helped build reading routines and support children’s social and emotional development.

Dolly Partonchildren's literacyfree booksphilanthropy

BBBC News★★★☆☆2026-08-29 00:35Original