Dolly Parton’s legacy lives on through free books for South Mississippi children

Dolly Parton’s legacy extends far beyond her music. For years, her Imagination Library has been putting free books into the hands of children across the country, including right here in South Mississippi.

WXXV News 25’s Chloe Carter shows us how Dolly’s legacy is helping local children build a love for reading one book at a time.

For some, Dolly Parton will be remembered for the music, the glamour, and the big personality. For children across South Mississippi, her legacy may arrive in a much quieter way in the mailbox.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends children a free, age-appropriate book every month from birth until their fifth birthday.

In South Mississippi, the program is helping put those books into the homes of local families.

The idea was personal for Dolly. She grew up in the East Tennessee Mountains as one of 12 children. Her father could not read or write, an experience she says helped inspire her to create the Imagination Library in 1995.

The program has grown into a global literacy effort, sending millions of books to children each month. But the mission remains simple: get books into children’s hands and help them discover the joy of reading.

While the books may be small, the impact can last much longer. For children, it can mean a new story to discover. For parents, another chance to read with their child. For Dolly Parton, it’s a legacy that continues one book at a time.

For generations, Dolly’s voice filled radios and television screens, but here in South Mississippi, her legacy is being heard in a different way in the sound of a child turning the page one book and one new imagination at a time.