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

https://mins.news/en/item/36306

- BBC News, 2026-08-29 00:35 UTC
- Culture
- Original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwlrrzp8eeo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> 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.

## Related coverage

- [Dolly Parton’s illiterate father inspired her to send books to millions of children](https://mins.news/en/item/37468) — BBC Chinese, 2026-08-30
- [How Dolly Parton gave millions of children the gift of reading](https://mins.news/en/video/33573) — CBC News, 2026-08-26
- [Dolly Parton’s philanthropy was based on ‘her belief in the goodness of people’](https://mins.news/en/item/33540) — The Associated Press, 2026-08-26
