Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library turns a new page this summer as the program marks new milestones in early childhood literacy, inspiring a love of reading in children all over the world.
Dolly’s childhood literacy program now gifts over 3.5 MILLION books each month and, as of June 2026, the Imagination Library has gifted over 325 million books to children across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
The Imagination Library Celebrates 20 Years and 5 Million Books Gifted to Canadian Children
The Imagination Library recently celebrated an extraordinary milestone in Canada: 20 years of inspiring young readers and more than 5 million books gifted to children nationwide. On June 26, communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast came together for One Big Celebration of Reading, with families, educators, libraries, and local program partners marking the occasion through storytimes, family activities, and community events that celebrated the joy of reading.
Since launching in Canada in 2006, the program has grown into a nationwide movement, providing free, high-quality books each month to children from birth to age five through the dedication of more than 400 local program partners. Today, the book collection continues to reflect the richness and diversity of Canadian communities, including stories that help every child to see themselves—and others—in the pages of a book.
Summertime Books to Spark Imagination
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books, free of charge, to families via funding shared by Dolly and local community partners. Summer is a wonderful time of year to spark the imagination, not only by spending more time playing, but also by spending more time reading! Here are a few of the specially selected, age-appropriate books going out to registered children this summer.
Raindrops to Rainbow
Featuring gentle rhymes by John Micklos Jr. and stunning illustrations by Charlene Chua, this picture book will captivate your child as it beautifully shows how color can be found all around us, whether there are raindrops falling or a bright rainbow high above.
Llamas With Lemonade
Your child will be grinning from A-Z while learning vocabulary skills in this book by Ariana Koultourides, which features a delightful parade of animals and their often-unusual objects.
A Walk in Summer
Walk along the warm sand and uncover the secrets of summer in this lift-the-flap non-fiction book from Ladybird, filled with bite-sized nature facts!
New to the Imagination Library?
Check availability in your area to register a child, sign up to receive a notification when the Imagination Library becomes available to you or learn more about how to Start A Program in your area.
