If you want to understand why the death of Dolly Parton means something far beyond country music, you don’t have to go to Nashville.
You can go to a library right here in New Hampshire.
Across the Granite State, children are receiving books in the mail because of an idea Dolly Parton had more than 30 years ago.
It’s called Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
And following Dolly’s death Tuesday at age 80, it may be one of the most meaningful pieces of her legacy.
The story starts with Dolly’s father.
Robert Lee Parton was a hardworking farmer and construction worker, but he never learned to read or write.
Dolly has said her father’s inability to read was one of the things that inspired her to create a program that would help children develop a love of books before they ever entered school.
The idea was wonderfully simple.
A child signs up.
Then a book arrives in the mailbox every month from birth until age five.
The books are free to the family.
And they’re addressed directly to the child.
Dolly started the program in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee—the same area where she grew up.
It didn’t stay there for long.
Today the Imagination Library operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland and sends millions of books to children every month.
And yes, New Hampshire kids are part of it.
WMUR visited Elkins Public Library in Canterbury following Dolly’s death and found 63 children enrolled in the program in that small community alone.
Library director Rachel Baker said Dolly’s impact went beyond literacy because the program also brings families into libraries and encourages parents to make reading part of everyday life.
The program has also reached families farther north.
Libraries and community organizations in Coos and Grafton counties have worked to keep the Imagination Library available to children there.
In 2026, local sponsors fully funded the North Country program, helping cover the postage required to deliver a new book to participating children every month.
And here’s a number that puts the scale of Dolly’s idea into perspective:
In 2026, roughly one out of every six American children under age five was receiving an Imagination Library book each month.
Think about that.
Dolly Parton wrote songs people will probably still be singing 100 years from now.
She starred in movies.
She built a theme park.
She became one of the most famous people in the world.
But somewhere in New Hampshire this month, a little kid is going to walk to the mailbox.
There will be a package with their name on it.
Inside will be a book.
They may have no idea who Dolly Parton was.
And that’s okay.
She knew who they were.
