Embrace the Season of Giving With Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is embracing the holiday season with gratitude and joy, reflecting on a transformative year marked by meaningful milestones and expanded impact. From reaching more children worldwide to strengthening partnerships that drive its mission, 2024 has been a year of growth and inspiration.
As of December 2024, Dolly’s childhood literacy program has gifted over 264 million books to children across the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and the Republic of Ireland. As the year comes to a close, the Imagination Library looks back on the moments that brought the gift of books, imagination, and hope to countless families.
3 Million Children Registered Worldwide
This year, the program reached a significant milestone with 3 million children under five registered worldwide, distributing over 3 million books each month. This incredible achievement reflects the dedication of more than 2,800 local Imagination Library Partners working to bring the gift of reading to families everywhere.
Expanding Access Across the United States
In 2024, the Imagination Library expanded its reach across the U.S., celebrating new initiatives and programs:
Celebrations in Missouri and Kentucky
Dolly visited Missouri and Kentucky to celebrate both states achieving full coverage in all their counties, making every child under five now eligible to receive a free book!
Oregon Statewide Expansion
Oregon launched its statewide expansion efforts in May of this year and currently, over 61,000 children in Oregon are enrolled, supported by 56 community programs.
Bilingual English/Spanish Books
Building on its success in California, the bilingual book collection expanded to Tennessee, D.C., North Carolina, Ohio, and Delaware. Families in these states now have the option to choose the core book program or the 100% bilingual book program.
Milestones and Growth in the United Kingdom
Globally, the program achieved new milestones in the UK:
- A £500,000 investment from East Riding of Yorkshire Council enabled all children in the region to receive free monthly books.
- The UK also celebrated its 6 millionth book gifted milestone in July, supported by over 400 UK local Imagination Library Partners.
Reflecting on a Year of Impact
From record registration numbers to statewide expansions and global growth, 2024 has been a transformative year for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Dolly now mails a free book EVERY second, and each book delivered brings the Imagination Library closer to its goal of inspiring a lifelong love of reading—one child at a time.
Winter Books to Spark Imagination
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading and learning by gifting books, free of charge, to families via funding shared by Dolly and local community partners. Winter is a wonderful time of year to spark the imagination by spending more time reading! Here are a few of the specially selected, age-appropriate books going out to registered children this winter.
Llama Llama Red Pajama
Baby Llama turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama in this read-aloud favorite, with infectious rhyming text and expressive artwork by Anna Dewdney.
A Northern Alphabet
Introduce your child to the ABCs in "A Northern Alphabet" by Ted Harrison, featuring some distinctly Canadian examples of the letters of the alphabet
Ladybird First Favourite Nursery Rhymes
Introduce your baby to 15 well-loved, classic nursery rhymes in this beautifully-illustrated book from Ladybird Books.
Show Your Thanks by Giving
Join in the spirit of the season and share the gift of literacy with families in your community by donating to your local Imagination Library! A donation as small as $31 covers the cost of providing an Imagination Library book to a child each month for 1 year!
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.
