Dolly's Imagination Library

By Deb A.

Twenty-two years ago, Dolly Parton launched the Imagination Library to encourage America's preschoolers and their families to develop a love for books. The programme began by sending 1,700 free books to children in Ms. Parton's home county in Tennessee, and since then has expanded to provide monthly reads to one million families across America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Each year, a panel of early childhood literacy experts reviews hundreds of books to select the most appropriate titles, which differ from country to country.

This past week, the initiative celebrated an awe-inspiring milestone when it shipped out its 100 millionth book. It marked the occasion by dedicating the book--Dolly Parton's own Coat of Many Colors--to the world's largest library, the Library of Congress.

Here are a sample of some of the books the programme has sent out. We highly recommend you play Jolene on repeat in the background while you take a look.