Country Music Icon Honors Her Dad Through Literacy Program
By Movieguide® Contributor
Dolly Parton is on a mission to instill a love of reading in today’s youth.
The 78-year-old country music legend was inspired to teach literacy to children after her late father never learned how to read.
“In the mountains, a lot of people never had a chance to go to school because they had to work on the farms,” she said at the Folly Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. “They had to do whatever it took to keep the rest of the family going.”
To bridge the gap for early readers, Parton created the Imagination Library book giveaway program, which has been contributing to society for three decades. Now in 21 states and several other countries, children under the age of 5 can have a monthly subscription of books mailed to their homes.
On Tuesday, Parton made stops in Kentucky and Missouri to share her father’s story and inspire children to learn to read.
AP News reported, “Parton, the fourth of 12 children from a poor Appalachian family, said her father was ‘one of the smartest people I’ve ever known,’ but he was embarrassed that he couldn’t read.”
Parton said of her program, “The kids started calling me the ‘book lady. And Daddy was more proud of that than he was that I was a star. But Daddy got to feeling like he had really done something great as well.”
Her dad, Robert Lee Parton, died in 2000 but lived long enough to see the program take off.
“That was kind of my way to honor my dad, because the Bible says to honor your father and mother,” Parton said. “And I don’t think that just means, ‘just obey.’ I think it means to bring honor to their name and to them.”
Parton’s Imagination Library website states, “After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly. First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. It became such a success that in 2000 a national replication effort was underway. By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the first of many millions of books sent to children around the world.”
In Kentucky, the program brings books to children in all 120 counties.
“More than 120,000 Kentucky children — nearly half of all preschoolers in the state — are currently enrolled to receive books through the program, [Kentucky] first lady Britainy Beshear said,” per AP News.
Books are near and dear to the singer’s heart. Earlier this year, she launched a cookbook with her sister, as Movieguide® reported:
Country legend Dolly Parton is “stumbling to the kitchen” with a new cookbook! This time, it is a nostalgic collaboration with her sister, Rachel Parton George.
The “Jolene” singer announced the news to her Instagram audience.
“Well, what’s cookin’, good lookin’? It’s our new cookbook! I wrote this book with my sister, Rachel, who might just be the best cook I know,” she shared in the post. “If you’re like us, you believe that good food and good times are the next best thing to pure love. So take a journey with us, into the kitchen. #GoodLookinCookin hits bookstores September 17th! Head to the link in my bio to pre-order now.”
“What CAN’T Dolly do? Apparently she can do anything. Amazing,” one user commented.
“This is one to have out in the kitchen! It’s so cute,” another user said.