Dolly Parton, the country music icon who passed away on August 25 at the age of 80, leaves behind a lifelong legacy of generosity, including the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The program, established in her father’s memory, will continue mailing free books each month to over 1,000 children in Baxter County.
Since its local launch in March 2019, the Imagination Library of Baxter County has sent more than 75,000 books to area children, with 1,592 graduates. Currently, 1,074 children—about 61% of the county’s children under 5—are enrolled, far exceeding Arkansas’ statewide enrollment average of 45%, according to Arkansas Imagination Library.
Families enrolled in the program pay nothing. Each child receives an age-appropriate book every month from birth until they turn 5, starting with a personalized copy of *The Little Engine That Could.* The Dollywood Foundation funds half the cost, while Arkansas Imagination Library grants cover another quarter, and the remaining costs are funded by the Baxter County Library Foundation through local donations.
“One of the most important things a parent can do for their child is read aloud to them regularly,” said Kim Crow Sheaner, director of the Donald W. Reynolds Library Serving Baxter County. “Hearing that vocabulary, being able to comprehend those stories, prepares a child to learn to read like nothing else.”
The local initiative operates under the Baxter County Early Literacy Project, which works to equip every child with the literacy skills needed to start kindergarten ready to learn. In addition to the Imagination Library, the project organizes the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge and maintains 13 Little Free Libraries filled with free children’s books across the county.
The impact of such programs is backed by research. The Arkansas Research Center found a 5% to 10% boost in kindergarten readiness scores among Imagination Library participants, with the largest gains seen in low-income families. Enrolled children were also 24% less likely to be held back in kindergarten and 28% less likely to repeat third grade, according to the Arkansas Imagination Library’s 2025 report.
Parton, born in 1946 in Sevier County, Tennessee, grew up in poverty as one of 12 siblings. While achieving global fame for hits like *Jolene* and *9 to 5*, she consistently used her platform for philanthropy. She launched the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father, Robert Lee Parton, who never learned to read or write. The program has since distributed over 332 million books to children across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.
Arkansas became the third state in the U.S. to establish a statewide Imagination Library program in 2005, and Parton personally visited the Governor’s Mansion in 2022 to celebrate full coverage in all 75 counties. To date, over 82,000 Arkansas children are enrolled, and nearly 7 million books have been distributed across the state.
Parton passed away at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville following a brief illness. Her family asked for donations to the Imagination Library in lieu of flowers. “What an amazing lady and what an impact she has made on countless young lives,” Crow Sheaner said.
Families in Baxter County can enroll children in the program by visiting ArkansasImaginationLibrary.org. The first book typically arrives in six to eight weeks. To support or learn more about the local Early Literacy Project, call (870) 580-0979, email earlyliteracy@baxlib.org, or visit BaxLib.org/Early-Literacy-Project.