Hundreds of fans, travelers, community members, and road-trippers gathered in Cornersville, Tennessee as Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop officially opened its doors, marking the debut of a first-of-its-kind roadside destination inspired by Dolly Parton's lifelong connection to the open road.
The grand opening celebration featured a surprise appearance from Dolly herself as she officially welcomed guests into the new space and kicked off a week-long celebration filled with special events, entertainment, and giveaways.
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration returns with high-energy entertainment, family fun and a patriotic flair as America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday. From a dazzling drone and fireworks spectacular to mouthwatering culinary items and festive Americana-themed décor and merchandise, Dollywood once again becomes the ultimate summer destination.
Inspired by Dolly Parton’s beloved anthem "9 to 5", Dolly launches a new signature coffee brand, Cup of Ambition, in partnership with Community Coffee. Launching with Light, Medium, and Dark roasts, Dolly’s Cup of Ambition is now available at Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop, where guests can be among the first to enjoy the new blends at the coffee shop and throughout the stop. And that’s just the beginning—later this year, Cup of Ambition will be available nationwide in ground and K-Cup® offerings in partnership with Community Coffee.
Now underway through July 31 at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony offers more than a concert experience, with tickets available now. Guests receive a commemorative swatch from the fabric of one of Dolly’s iconic dresses, can explore Dolly’s Hall of Fame Gallery featuring a selection of her gold and platinum album awards from the forthcoming Life of Many Colors Museum, shop exclusive merchandise, and enjoy premium themed experiences—including VIP packages, backstage tours, and celebration options for girls’ nights out, bachelorette parties, and families—available every Friday throughout the limited summer series.
If you’re looking for family-friendly entertainment that includes a great meal and plenty of awe-inspiring moments, look no further than Dolly’s Stampede Dolly Parton's Stampede. With breathtaking horse-riding stunts, a patriotic grand finale, and a delicious four-course feast, there's no better place to experience the joy and energy of being in the USA for its 250th anniversary of Independence.
As summer heats up, so do the shows at Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, featuring a stunt spectacular awash with memorable moments, thrilling fun, and a tasty four-course feast. An adventurous crew of characters combines heroics and high-flying fun that will have guests cheering and experiencing thrills around every corner in an epic battle for lost treasure on land, on deck, and in the water of the show’s 15-foot-deep indoor lagoon.
The 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Dolly’s childhood literacy program now gifts over 3.4 MILLION books each month and, as of March, 2026, the Imagination Library has gifted more than 314 million books to children across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted millions of books to children from birth to age five. Now, a groundbreaking international study—the largest dataset ever collected on shared book reading—reaffirms the program’s powerful impact.
“My dream has always been to help children love books and love learning, no matter where they live," Dolly says. "It warms my heart to know this research shows the difference a book can make.”
Led by researcher Dr. Claire Galea, the study followed more than 86,000 caregivers across five countries over a twelve-month period, comparing families enrolled in the Imagination Library with those not yet receiving books.
The findings show that even a small number of books can create meaningful change. After receiving just 10 books, children in the program were significantly more likely to demonstrate stronger early literacy skills—such as vocabulary development and phonological awareness—helping to close gaps that often begin before a child ever enters the classroom.
Beyond early literacy development, the study highlights the Imagination Library’s impact on everyday family life—helping to establish consistent reading routines and deepen engagement between children and caregivers.
Children enrolled in the program were far more likely to be read to regularly and to actively participate during shared reading experiences. Caregivers also reported more interactive reading behaviors, from talking about pictures to encouraging children to hold and explore books themselves.
Together, these moments add up—fostering not only stronger literacy skills, but also a lifelong love of reading and meaningful family traditions centered around books.
For further details, view the International Research Summary at https://imaginationlibrary.com/international-research/
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading and learning by gifting books, free of charge, to families through funding shared by Dolly and local community partners. Spring is a season of growth and new beginnings—making it the perfect time to nurture a child’s imagination through books.
Here are a few of the specially selected, age-appropriate books going out to registered children this spring:
Baby Touch: Farm
This playful touch-and-feel book from Ladybird engages babies while they discover the farm and spot all their favourite farm animals!
Sparkle and Splodge
This positive picture book by Neil Clark celebrates the importance of creative fun, making mistakes, and learning from others. A brilliant read-aloud before bedtime!
Sparkle and Splodge
This positive picture book by Neil Clark celebrates the importance of creative fun, making mistakes, and learning from others. A brilliant read-aloud before bedtime!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library enters the fall season by celebrating new achievements in its statewide expansion efforts and inspiring a love of reading in children all over the world as it reaches a new monumental milestone!
Dolly’s childhood literacy program now gifts over 3.4 million books per month to children across the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. As we embark upon the fall season, the Imagination Library continues to inspire more children around the world to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More!
This November, at the peak of its celebratory 30th anniversary year and in perfect harmony with National Family Literacy Month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is marking a breathtaking milestone: over 300 million books gifted to children since the program began in 1995!
Just two years after crossing the 200 million mark, the Imagination Library has soared to new heights, now gifting an incredible 3.4 million books each month to children around the world and will deliver its 300 Millionth book this fall. This remarkable achievement wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of more than 2,800 Local Program Partners who help bring Dolly’s dream to life in communities across five countries.
For Dolly, every book is a gift of possibility. Inspired by her father, who couldn’t read or write, she created the Imagination Library to help children dream bigger, learn more, and believe in themselves through the gift of literacy.
With 300 million books in the hands of children — and counting — her vision continues to grow, one book, one child, one joyful delivery at a time.
Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte welcomed partners, supporters and guests to the Imagination Library of Montana’s Statewide Celebration, held August 27, 2025, to celebrate two years since the Imagination Library became available to all Montana children under the age of five and bring awareness to the program.
In June 2023, First Lady Gianforte announced that the program was available statewide. There are now about 27,500 children enrolled, and that number continues to grow. Over 590,000 books have been mailed in Montana since the program’s statewide expansion!
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. Fall is a beautiful time of year to spark the imagination, not only by spending more time enjoying fall festivities, but also by spending more time reading! Here are a few of the specially selected, age-appropriate books going out to registered children this fall.
In this infectious story by Anna Dewdney, join Llama Llama as he experiences the highs and lows that all children have at bedtime. The perfect nighttime story for your child to learn about their emotions!
Hop on a tow-truck ride with Toad as he learns that everyone needs help sometimes—even the helpers—in this acclaimed picture book by Jashar Awan.
Max embarks on a journey to find the moon and wish it goodnight in this playful bedtime excursion by Ed Vere.
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.
