# 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 11:03 UTC
- Culture
- Original: https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/articles/c5ydw7pv2nzo/trad?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> Dolly Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to honor her father, who never learned to read or write. The program has since distributed more than 300 million free books worldwide, with families saying its carefully selected titles support children’s literacy as well as their social and emotional development.

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- [Parents call Dolly Parton’s children’s book charity “a gift”](https://mins.news/en/video/37006) — CBS News, 2026-08-29
- [How ‘Book Queen’ Dolly Parton inspired millions of children to read](https://mins.news/en/item/36306) — BBC News, 2026-08-29
