Turning the Page on 30 Years of the Imagination Library and over 300 Million Books Gifted to Children
As the year comes to a close, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is embracing the holiday season with gratitude and reflection—looking back on a milestone year defined by growth, inclusion, and global impact. In its celebratory 30th anniversary year, the Imagination Library marked a breathtaking achievement: more than 300 million books gifted to children since the program began in 1995. Just two years after crossing the 200 million mark, the program now delivers an incredible 3.4 million books each month, made possible by the dedication of more than 2,800 Local Program Partners across five countries.
Expanding Access Across the United States
In 2025, statewide expansion efforts continued to bring the Imagination Library to more families than ever before. Alabama and Oregon both achieved full statewide availability this year, making every child under age five in the states of Alabama and Oregon eligible to receive a free book each month. Montana held a celebration of its statewide success, marking two years of full statewide availability for children under five.
Bilingual English/Spanish Book Program Continues to Grow
The bilingual English/Spanish book collection is now available in Washington, Colorado, Montana, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maine, Illinois, Oregon, Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, West Virginia, and New Mexico. Families in participating states can choose to receive books in both English and Spanish from enrollment through their child’s fifth birthday and select their preferred language for all program communications—helping ensure more children see themselves reflected in the stories they read.
Celebrating Global Impact
The Imagination Library continued to celebrate meaningful milestones beyond the United States in 2025. In Canada, the program surpassed 4 million books gifted since launching in 2006, reflecting nearly two decades of collaboration among hundreds of local partners and volunteers nationwide. This year also reinforced the program’s commitment to representation, with eight Indigenous-authored or illustrated titles included among the 70 books selected for the Canada Book Selection, honoring the voices of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.
In Australia, the Imagination Library celebrated the delivery of its 2 millionth book, a milestone supported by world-leading research demonstrating the program’s positive impact on early literacy and home reading environments.
Reflecting on a Transformative Year
From celebrating 30 years of impact to reaching 300 million books gifted worldwide, 2025 has been a transformative year for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For Dolly, every book remains a gift of possibility—one inspired by her father and rooted in the belief that access to books can change a child’s life.
As the year draws to a close, the Imagination Library looks ahead with gratitude for the partners, volunteers, and families who make this work possible—and with renewed commitment to inspiring a lifelong love of reading, one book, one child, one joyful delivery at a time.
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