11/02/2026
What an inspiration!
Our very own Imagination Library is coming to Greater Napanee.
Are you excited?
Dolly Parton was born in a one bedroom cabin in the Tennessee mountains with no running water or electricity. Her father, Lee, worked the land but never learned to read or write. In 1995 she launched the Imagination Library in her home county of Sevier, determined to give children the early access to books her father never had.
The first order was 1,760 books, mailed to local children from birth to age five, free, no matter their family's income. The idea spread across America, then to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland. The program passed 100 million books in 2018, 200 million in 2023, and 300 million in 2025.
Dolly passed away on 25 August 2026 at age 80, but by then her program had gifted more than 330 million books. A child who owns a book can dream bigger, and her gift keeps arriving in mailboxes every month.
