“Two Sides to Every Story”

Support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library this Friday!

Dolly Parton wrote hit songs, sold out arenas, starred in movies and built an entertainment empire. But one of her greatest legacies may be sitting on a bookshelf in a family’s home.

In 1995, Parton had a BIG Idea: What if every child could have books of their own, regardless of how much money their family made?

Inspired by her father, who could not read or write, Parton launched the Imagination Library in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up. The idea was remarkably simple. Enroll a child at birth and mail that child a free, age-appropriate book every month until age 5.

What started in one Tennessee county has become an international early-literacy movement. Today, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library operates across five countries, has gifted more than 300 million books and mails more than 3 million books every month to children.

And the impact goes well beyond the number of books delivered.

Research compiled by the Imagination Library has found that participating families tend to read aloud more frequently, children own more books and young readers demonstrate greater interest in reading. Some studies have also found stronger early literacy skills among participating children.

A large international study involving more than 86,000 caregivers across five countries found significant differences in reading behaviors and early literacy. After receiving at least 10 books, participating children were at least four times more likely to demonstrate stronger emerging literacy skills, and children in the program were nine times more likely to be read to four or more days a week than children who had not yet begun receiving books.

That is the power of a BIG Idea that scales.

Dolly’s BIG Idea Is Working in Cincinnati

The national story becomes very local when you look at what is happening in Hamilton County.

Today, nearly 32,000 Hamilton County children are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Cincinnati/Hamilton County.

That represents approximately 66% of all eligible children under age 5 in the county. 

Every enrolled child receives a brand-new book each month, selected specifically for their age and developmental stage, at absolutely no cost to their family. 

Think about what happens next. 

• A baby gets a board book.

• A toddler begins recognizing pictures and words.

• A preschooler asks for the same story again and again.

• A parent and child create a bedtime reading ritual.

• A stack of books becomes a home library.

Then a child arrives to kindergarten already knowing that books can be exciting, comforting, funny and full of possibility.

The Imagination Library's book-selection process is intentionally designed around children's developmental stages, progressing from colorful board books and rhyme for babies to vocabulary, storytelling, science, poetry and school-readiness concepts for older preschoolers.

That makes this more than a book-delivery progra – It is an investment in school readiness, family engagement and Cincinnati's future.

32,000 Children Down. Thousands More to Reach.

Cincinnati’s enrollment is impressive. But the BIG Idea isn't finished. If 66% of eligible children are participating, roughly one-third still aren't. The local goal is ambitious and beautifully simple: every eligible child in Hamilton County should have access to books at home.

Getting there will require the same thing that turned Dolly Parton's original idea into a worldwide movement: champions.

Champions who tell parents about the program.

Champions who support early literacy.

Champions who donate.

Champions who put books into the hands of children who need them.

Be a Champion: Give a Child a Book

In honor of Dolly Parton and the Imagination Library, Cincinnati People is encouraging Cincinnatians to support young readers with brand-new books for children from birth through age 5. 

The greatest needs include board books for babies and toddlers and engaging picture books for preschoolers. Books reflecting diverse children, families, cultures and experiences are especially welcome, including books by Black authors and books featuring Black characters. Because every child deserves the opportunity to open a book and see a world of possibilities.

Every child deserves the chance to see themselves in that world, Dolly Parton started with one BIG Idea in one small corner of Tennessee. More than 30 years later, millions of children have opened their mailboxes and found a book waiting for them.

That's what champions do.

They dream big enough to change someone else's story.

Learn more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.