08/25/2026
A Legacy Measured in Books, Dreams & Little Readers
Today, we mourn the loss of an extraordinary woman whose legacy will reach far beyond music.
Dolly Parton believed that every child deserves the chance to dream, and she understood that some of the biggest dreams begin with a book.
In 1995, Dolly created Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, inspired by her father’s inability to read and write. What began as a way to put books into the hands of children in her own Tennessee community has grown into a worldwide movement, gifting hundreds of millions of books to children from birth through age five.
Her vision has touched families, communities, and generations...and Shasta County has been incredibly fortunate to be part of that story.
Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, children right here in our community have received a special book in the mail month after month. For some, it may have been their very first book. For others, it became a bedtime tradition, a treasured story, or the beginning of a lifelong love of reading.
As the Shasta Library Foundation, we are profoundly grateful for Dolly’s extraordinary vision and for the countless dreams she has helped plant through the simple, powerful gift of a book.
Her music may have given the world songs to sing, but her Imagination Library gave children stories to imagine, words to learn, and dreams to chase.
And that is a legacy that will live on in every child who opens a book.
Thank you, Dolly, for believing in the power of a child, the magic of a story, and the possibility that lives inside every book. ❤️
May we continue planting those seeds of imagination, one book and one child at a time.
With much gratitude,
Shasta Library Foundation
