Yet Dolly Parton’s Life Changing Legacy Will Live On

She wasn’t able to have children of her own, yet Dolly Parton gave children all over the world one of the greatest gifts a parent can give. The love of reading.

So far over 300 million books are in the hands of children because of the dream she had, inspired by her father. “The smartest man I ever knew” who never learned to read.

Because of Dolly Parton’s mission to share love and light, “her kids” come to kindergarten ready and eager to learn to read.

I have a feeling the Imagination Library’s wild success is only going to expand mightily going forward.

After all, Dolly is up there singing with the angels now, and she has undoubtedly got the ear of the One who loves children as she does.

My deepest condolences go out to the wonderful people at the Imagination Library who have helped to make her dream come true.

On a personal note, I will be forever grateful to the president of The Imagination Library and Dollywood Foundation, Jeff Conyers, for his support for The Invisible Toolbox. When my agent reached out and invited him to read it in manuscript form for comment, he kindly said yes and then wrote a beautiful blurb that we used on the back cover.

I was beyond thrilled.

Then in 2021 I was invited to speak at the Imagination Library’s biannual Homecoming. That year it was virtual instead of its usual gathering in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the home of Dollywood. But the upside of that was that volunteers from all over the world, from the UK, Canada, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, were able to join in.

I’ve been an enthusiastic believer in Dolly’s mission for a long time. Her focus on getting books into the hands of children and their parents from the beginning of their little lives until they start kindergarten is brilliant.

Dolly was an incredibly smart lady who understood that the love of reading and preparation to learn how begins at the beginning, on the lap of a loving parent.

When it comes to declining literacy rates, it’s increasingly important that we take a close look at what children experience in their earliest years before formal school begins. The Imagination Library is destined to become more relevant than ever in addressing this.

Thank you, great lady, for pointing the way.