For nearly 30 years, Dolly Parton helped make sure children had books of their own.
She started Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, who was unable to read and write. What began in her home county in Tennessee grew to reach children across five countries, with free books arriving in the mail every month from birth to age five. As of today, the Imagination Library has mailed more than 332 million books to children around the world!
That work means a lot to us at Way to Grow because we see what happens when books become part of everyday family life.
Books become part of family life in all kinds of ways, from a story at bedtime to the favorite book a child wants to hear again and again. Sometimes a toddler is turning the pages before you’re finished, or a child has a question about every picture.
Those everyday experiences together add up.
Reading Together Matters
Way to Grow Family Educators regularly bring books into home visits and help parents find ways to make reading part of the time they already spend together.
Reading with young children helps build language and early literacy skills. It also gives children and their grown-ups time to talk, ask questions, laugh, notice pictures, make predictions, and enjoy a story together.
And there isn’t one right way to do it. You don’t have to finish every page or ask the perfect questions. What matters is making room for books, conversation, and time together in ways that work for your family.
As we remember Dolly and the extraordinary reach of the Imagination Library, we’re sharing three Dolly Parton children’s books to enjoy with a little reader in your life.
3 Dolly Parton Children’s Books to Read Together
Coat of Many Colors
Based on Dolly’s childhood and her song of the same name, Coat of Many Colors tells the story of a young girl whose mother makes her a coat from scraps of fabric. When classmates tease her about it, the girl knows how much love went into making it. To her, that makes the coat something to be proud of.
It’s a story about family, kindness, and what makes something truly special.
Try asking: What is something you have that you really love?
Dolly Parton’s Billy the Kid Makes It Big
Billy the Kid is a French bulldog who loves music and dreams of becoming a country music star. When he heads to Nashville, some bullies shake his confidence along the way.
The story gives families a chance to talk about confidence, friendship, bullying, and doing something you love even when it isn’t easy.
Try asking: What is something you love doing?
I Am a Rainbow
Little kids can have very big feelings. I Am a Rainbow uses colors to help children think and talk about emotions, giving families an easy way to start conversations about how we feel.
As you read, try asking your child what color matches how they’re feeling today. There’s no wrong answer!
A Legacy of Books
Dolly Parton spent decades helping children build their own home libraries. Today, the Imagination Library continues that work, sending free, age appropriate books to children from birth through age five.
Those books give families something they can pick up again and again. They become bedtime stories, favorite stories, learning opportunities, and time spent together.
And sometimes, they help a child begin a lifelong love of reading.
Thank you, Dolly. 🧡
Learn more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and find out whether the program is available in your community.
Find More with Way to Grow
You can also explore more of Way to Grow’s What We’re Reading picks and family learning ideas for simple ways to read, play, and learn together. Find it all on our blog.
To learn more about Way to Grow’s home visiting program, visit us at www.waytogrow.org/services.
