Imagination Library of Saline County, Arkansas

09/24/2026

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In thousands of communities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland, children receive a free book every month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Here in Saline County, Arkansas, more than 2,650 children receive a book each month!

Behind every book is a community of people who believe in the power of giving—our donors, volunteers, local partners and supporters who help make this program possible.

On September 25, Give Like Dolly Day, you can help us reach even more children and families in Saline County! Every gift helps us continue building a community where children can grow up surrounded by the joy of books and reading.

by donating any amount: $9.25, $19.25, or $925–you get the idea! Make sure you search for and select Saline County so local children benefit!

https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com

Select “I would like to designate this donation to a specific Imagination Library Local Program Partner” / click United States / click “AR - Saline County.”

09/23/2026

The “GoodNight with Dolly” videos are back!

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

09/15/2026

Give Like Dolly Day is coming September 25!

Dolly Parton believed in giving back and helping children dream bigger—and this year, we’re celebrating that spirit through Give Like Dolly Day.

On September 25, we’re inviting communities all over the world to join us in giving back to children by supporting your local Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program. Your support helps make it possible for the children in your community to receive a free, high-quality book every month from birth to age 5.

Learn more and find the Imagination Library program serving your community: imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability

09/10/2026

📚 September books are on the way!

This month’s collection includes The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Signs, introducing babies and toddlers to simple American Sign Language, along with stories about kindness, friendship and plenty of fun.

Children enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library receive a FREE book every month from birth to age 5.

💬 Which September book are you most excited to read together?

09/09/2026

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library mails over 3 million books each month around the world - and behind every book is a story!

This we invite Arkansas families whose lives have been touched by the program to share what the program has meant to them.

The Imagination Library is collecting these memories to celebrate the beautiful legacy Dolly created. ❤️

Share your story: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8978593/Dolly-Tributes

09/04/2026

While the Imagination Library program is free to children and their families, it costs Imagination Library of Saline County $31 per child each year for books and postage. We have had almost 300 new registrations in the last few weeks! Your contribution goes toward the cost of books and postage.

Please honor Dolly’s legacy by helping provide books to local children!

You can donate to Imagination Library of Saline County at https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/
Select “I would like to designate this donation to a specific Imagination Library Local Program Partner” and click United States and then “AR - Saline County” from the two drop down menus. You can also search by zip code.

08/28/2026

"I'll be as proud of this as anything I've ever done," Dolly Parton once said. "When they lay me down, I'll be thinking of the Imagination Library." Not the songs, not the stardom -- the books.

There are millions of children who can all say the same simple thing: "Dolly sent me books." Since 1995, her Imagination Library has mailed more than 330 million free books to children -- one a month, addressed to each child by name, from birth until they turn five, reaching more than 3 million kids today, roughly one in seven American children under five, as well as children in four other countries. "Inspiring kids to love to read became my passion and my mission," she said.

Dolly built it as a tribute to her father, Robert Lee Parton, a sharecropper who never learned to read. "I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams," she said.

The children who received her books took to calling her "the Book Lady" -- a name, she said, her father loved more than her fame: "That meant more to him than the fact that I had become a star and worked my butt off." Before he died in 2000, he told her the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing she had ever done. Millions of children, and the parents who read to them, would agree.

--> Fans are now honoring Dolly the way she'd have wanted -- by giving the gift of reading to the next child. You can donate to send books to children who might not otherwise have them, or check whether the program is available where you live and enroll a child of your own -- both at https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/

- Dolly spent her life putting books in children's hands, and the picture book "Coat of Many Colors" tells the story of the childhood that made her want no child to go without -- for ages 4 and up at https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9798217140640 (Bookshop) and https://amzn.to/4wPLUUs (Amazon)

- For older readers, her own illustrated memoir "Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics" walks through the stories behind 175 of her songs, from "Coat of Many Colors" to "Jolene" to "I Will Always Love You" at https://amzn.to/4xgl9ta (Amazon) and https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9781797224732 (Bookshop)

For more books to introduce kids to her extraordinary life and legacy, we recommend the picture books "Dolly Parton: Little People, Big Dreams” for ages 5 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/dolly-parton-little-people) and "Dazzlin' Dolly" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/dazzlin-dolly), and the illustrated biography "Who Is Dolly Parton?" for ages 8 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/who-is-dolly-parton)

There is also a fascinating biography on her life and impact on working women, "She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived By Her Songs," at https://www.amightygirl.com/she-come-by-it-natural

Credit: Matt Macauley - X /

08/26/2026

Imagination Library of Saline County joins people around the world in mourning the loss of Dolly Parton, an extraordinary woman whose vision changed childhood for millions.

Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Dolly placed books into the hands and homes of children around the world and inspired a love of reading from the very beginning.

Here in Saline County, Dolly’s vision became a reality in 2011. Over the past 15 years, we’ve provided 313,673 books to children in Saline County. While the program is free to children and their families, it costs Imagination Library of Saline County $31 per child each year for books and postage. This year, ILSC will provide books to more than 2,500 children, and your contribution goes toward the cost of books and postage.

The Parton family has asked that memorial gifts support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. If you wish to honor Dolly’s legacy by helping provide books to local children you can donate to Imagination Library of Saline County at https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/ Select “I would like to designate this donation to a specific Imagination Library Local Program Partner” and click United States and then “AR - Saline County” from the two drop down menus. You can also search by zip code.

Thank you, Dolly, for believing so deeply in the power of books and the potential of every child. Your legacy will live on for generations. We will always love you.

08/25/2026

Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old.

Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000).

A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.

At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com

In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com

07/29/2026

Is your child excited to start Kindergarten in a few weeks? Here are some reading tips to use with the Imagination Library graduation book your child received when they turned five!