Dolly Parton spent more than three decades placing books in the hands of children. Following her death Tuesday at age 80, her family is asking mourners to help that work continue.
“In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” the family said in an announcement posted on Parton’s official website.
The literacy program she founded in one Tennessee county now mails more than 3 million free books each month to children across five countries.
A Gift Inspired by Her Father
Parton died peacefully in Nashville on August 25 at age 80, her family announced. Representatives later said she died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center after a brief battle with cancer; the type of cancer was not specified. At Parton’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family.
The country music star founded the Imagination Library in 1995 through the Dollywood Foundation. The program was inspired by her father, Robert Lee Parton Sr., who could not read or write.
Parton initially created the program for children in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up as one of 12 children. Her goal was to encourage families to read together by mailing every enrolled child a free, age-appropriate book each month.
The program expanded nationally in 2000. It subsequently reached Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, according to the organization’s official history.
The Imagination Library has now distributed more than 300 million books worldwide. It currently mails more than 3 million books each month directly to children’s homes.
Texas Invests $4 Million in Book Delivery
Parton’s literacy initiative was already poised for additional growth in Texas before her death.
The Texas Legislature appropriated $4 million for fiscal year 2026 to fund Community Literacy Support Grants administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
The grants help public libraries partner with nonprofit organizations to enroll children in monthly mail-order book programs. The appropriation was included in the state’s General Appropriations Act, according to commission meeting records.
More than 80 nonprofit organizations operating in Texas were enrolling children in the Imagination Library as of August 2025. The state commission said it had begun working with Dollywood Foundation representatives and Texas nonprofit organizations to develop the grant initiative.
An invitation-only pilot began in October 2025 with approximately seven library-nonprofit partnerships. The Imagination Library was selected as the pilot’s book-delivery program, according to a subsequent commission update.
Participating children receive one book at home every month. Nonprofit partners, rather than the state agency, oversee enrollment and delivery.
Books Provided Regardless of Income
The Imagination Library serves eligible children from birth to age 5 without requiring families to demonstrate financial need.
Funding is shared by the Dollywood Foundation and local community partners, which may include libraries, school systems, civic organizations, businesses, and nonprofit groups. Families are not charged for the books or postage.
The first book sent to participating children in the United States is traditionally The Little Engine That Could. Subsequent selections are based on the child’s age, with an emphasis on early literacy, vocabulary development, and interaction between children and caregivers.
In 2024, approximately one in seven children younger than 5 in the United States received an Imagination Library book each month, according to the program’s published milestones.
Parents can check the organization’s online availability tool to determine whether enrollment is offered in their community.
Flags Lowered in Parton’s Memory
President Donald Trump ordered American flags lowered to half-staff following Parton’s death.
The order applies to the White House, federal buildings, military installations, naval vessels, and U.S. facilities overseas through sunset on September 1, according to a presidential proclamation published Friday in the Federal Register.
