How Dolly Parton, a country music icon, is assisting numerous children in California
California’s extension of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library now qualifies every kid under five to receive a free book in the mail each month.
California will have the largest Imagination Library in the country thanks to the recently expanded book-giving program, and it will also be the first state to offer multilingual books in English and Spanish.
The Imagination Library was founded in 1995 by iconic and award-winning country music performer, actor, and icon Dolly Parton to promote a love of reading.
“Today is an incredible turning point for kids and families all over the state!” Parton stated in a statement released by the office of Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday.
Dolly Parton “unites us through her music—and through her dedication to fostering a love of reading in all children,” stated Newsom.
More than 2.4 million kids will be eligible for the program after the expansion is finished, according to Newsom, “opening millions of young minds to a world of unlimited possibilities.”
The Imagination Library was founded by Parton, the self-described “Book Lady,” in memory of her father.
Because he was so intelligent, the fact that he couldn’t read or write seriously handicapped him. In a 2019 interview with CNN, Parton said, “It bothered him a lot.”
According to the organization’s website, the program strives to give carefully chosen books to families with preschool-aged children regardless of socioeconomic circumstances.
The Imagination Library has distributed over 200 million books throughout 50 states since the project’s inception.
Greg Lucas, the state librarian of California, stated in a press release on Tuesday that he thinks avid readers “are more likely to succeed in school and to succeed in life” and that the Imagination Library project “is the kind of challenge we like at the State Library – working with local partners to put as many books into the hands of as many kids as we can.”
According to Parton, we still have a lot of work to do, but by working together, youngsters all around California may develop a lifelong love of reading.
