(26 Aug 2026) Dolly Parton had first-hand experience of the effects of limited literacy. Her father could not read or write. He was, she once said, “the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”
This sentiment fuelled her passion for encouraging childhood literacy. It drove her to establish the Imagination Library, with the goal of inspiring “a love of reading and learning from a young age”.
Launched in 1995, the Imagination Library sends children enrolled in the program a free, age-appropriate, culturally inclusive book in the mail every month from birth until their fifth birthday. The program began in Sevier County, Tennessee – Parton’s home county – before spreading across the world. It has established roots in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland.
To date, the Imagination Library has distributed 318 million books, with 3.4 million books sent out monthly across these regions.
The Australian program was officially launched in 2013 and now operates in more than 430 locations. Currently, nearly 50,000 Australian children are receiving a free book every month.
The worldwide evidence showed that children enrolled in the Imagination Library were significantly more likely to display foundational early literacy skills and to develop an interest in reading compared to those not on the program. In Australia, enrolled children were found to be nine times more likely to be interested in books, 17 times more likely to join in during shared book reading, and six times more likely to demonstrate key emerging literacy skills than those who were not enrolled.
Participants in the study also reported improvements in family interactions during shared book reading. These benefits were evident across socioeconomic differences.
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