UNC Charlotte expert explains Dolly Parton’s lasting impact on childhood literacy

Since 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has put free books in the hands of millions of children. As one of the most influential early childhood literacy initiatives in the world, the Imagination Library has encouraged a love of reading and helped families build strong literacy habits at home for children from birth to age five. In total, the Imagination Library has donated over 330 million books to children across five countries. Currently, one in six children under the age of 5 in the U.S. receives a book each month from the program.

Mark West, UNC Charlotte professor of English and expert in childhood literacy, wrote about Parton’s initiative in 2021. Following her sudden passing, West answered questions about the impact and importance of the program. 

How did the Imagination Library program start? Can Parton’s impact on early childhood literacy be quantified? What is the lasting impact of this program?

Dolly Parton started her Imagination Library program in her home state of Tennessee as an effort to provide young children with age-appropriate books that the children could keep. From this beginning, the program expanded into a national program.  The program works collaboratively with local literacy groups. In the Charlotte area, the program works with the Smart Start program in Mecklenburg County.

The Imagination Library program can be quantified in terms of the numbers of books the program has provided to children. The total number is in the millions. By providing young children with their own books, the program helps children become familiar with books and facilitates the reading aloud of books.  Many studies have shown that reading books aloud to children encourages children to develop an interest in reading and helps them improve their vocabularies and other language skills.

Imagination Library focuses on children under five years old. Why are those ages so important from a literacy perspective? 

The Imagination Library plays an important role in developing children’s pre-literacy skills.  It is much easier for children to learn how to read if they are already familiar with books and how they work.  

When young children grow up with books in their homes, they are more likely to take an interest in reading.  Often young children will select one of these books as their favorite book and ask for it to be read aloud over and over.  While adults sometimes find this repetition to be annoying, it helps children better understand how sentences are put together and how stories work. 

What do you believe is Parton’s most overlooked contribution to childhood literacy?  

In addition to launching the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton has written several excellent picture books for children, including “A Coat of Many Colors,” which relates to her career as a singer and songwriter. Perhaps her most overlooked contribution is making literacy feel not merely educational, but deeply personal through her own stories: a way for children to understand themselves and connect with others.

Written by: Mark West and Jason Vaughan