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August 27, 2026 \u2014 5:58pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Tears were shed around the globe after Dolly Parton\u2019s death, but for some of the many children in Australia who have received the gift of books thanks to the US singer\u2019s generosity, the news landed particularly hard.<\/p>\n In south-west Victoria, seven-year-old Willow Board cried because she\u2019d lost her hero, who had been sending her a book every month since she was born.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks Miss Dolly,\u201d Willow used to say each time she got a book from the letterbox.<\/p>\n Those deliveries were thanks to the Imagination Library<\/a>, Parton\u2019s free book gifting program, established in 1995, which has delivered 300 million books to children all over the world.<\/p>\n When she was five, Willow was one of a handful of kids who got to meet Parton via video link. They talked about favourite books and the fact they both come from big families (Willow has six siblings). Parton spoke to every child.<\/p>\n After hearing about Parton\u2019s death, Willow said: \u201cGod would say she should be back on earth because she is a real-life angel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Inspiration for the library, which gives a book a month to a child until they turn five, came from Parton\u2019s own life \u2013 \u201cmy own dad who was not able to read nor write but was one of the smarter people one would ever want to know\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy was able to see [the program] take off and do good, and to hear the kids call me the book lady, he got such a kick out of that,\u201d Parton said, adding that he considered it the best thing she ever did.<\/p>\n Related Article Every delivery comes with information about the story and its author, as well as ideas for parents to discuss with their child after they finish reading the book.<\/p>\n Those tips are designed to help improve parents\u2019 literacy, giving them skills teachers might use, such as encouraging the child to predict the story based on the cover or pictures within.<\/p>\n The Imagination Library partners with Australian providers to deliver the program, including not-for-profit United Way,<\/a> which has done so since 2013.<\/p>\n United Way Australia CEO Lyndsey McKee says early literacy was identified as a clear need in Australia when the organisation became involved. \u201cWe knew that there was this wonderful program that was trusted and loved by many,\u201d she says. \u201cThose early years are absolutely critical.\u201d<\/p>\n Around 50,000 children are enrolled currently in Australia, and more than 134,000 have taken part since its introduction. \u201cThe evidence is so significant around what a book in the home can mean for children in those critical years,\u201d says McKee. \u201cA child is 10 times more developmentally vulnerable if there is no reading at home.\u201d<\/p>\n How books are provided differs from state to state. In Victoria, United Way partners with kindergartens, while in NSW, it\u2019s mainly through the Department of Education; local libraries are also often involved. About 70 per cent of the books are by Australian authors or illustrators, including about 10 per cent Indigenous creatives.<\/p>\n Sam Mooy<\/p>\n Helen Michael is a facilitator at Sydney\u2019s Glebe Treehouse, a community centre that provides bridging programs between the community and schools. It runs playgroups for children aged zero to five, with about 101 kids registered for the Imagination Library, including about 55 First Nations families.<\/p>\n A huge fan of the concept, Michael says even five minutes of shared reading time makes a big difference. As well as helping literacy, research shows how powerful that is in that time together helps bonding, calms the child\u2019s nervous system, exposes them to early learning and, longer term, helps prevent low self-esteem around literacy, which will improve socio-economic outcomes. It\u2019s so powerful, she says, it may start as something as simple as a little nursery rhyme between a parent or foster parent, but it has a huge impact.<\/p>\n South-west Victorian teacher Grace Greenham, mother of Hazel, 3, and Hugo, 10 months, agrees \u2013 her daughter has been receiving a book each month through the Imagination Library since she was a baby.<\/p>\n \u201cHazel is at the age now where getting mail is very exciting for her, especially when it\u2019s a book with her name on it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cHazel is only three but we\u2019ve read to her since she was born and even as a 12 or 18-month-old she would sit down with us on our laps and ask for a story. When it\u2019s something you start from such an early age it becomes part of their everyday life and something they really look forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n In her work as a teacher, Greenham sees firsthand the impact of reading at home. \u201cI notice a huge difference in the classroom of students who have been read to consistently, not only in their ability to pick up reading and language skills quickly but also in their vocab when they are speaking as well. <\/p>\n \u201cLiteracy is so important and that families regardless of their circumstances are able to access [books] is just fantastic,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible the Imagination Library is all over the world; Dolly has left an amazing legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more on the death of Dolly Parton:<\/p>\n The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Willow](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e3783b13ea111fe4e90da396e2f30108acbdce96.jpeg\")
Willow Board, 7, received books each month through Dolly Parton\u2019s Imagination Library, and got to speak to the singer via video link in 2023.Nicole Cleary<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5f38329843f7c671aa9881dcb4924f3d7c4fa213.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Tanya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6e461a89ead1e262bb6c3cf03d865f04a932d313.jpeg\")
Tanya Donovan whose children
\nVictor, left, and Jamie take part in Dolly Parton\u2019s library through the Glebe Treehouse in Sydney.<\/p>\n![\"Hazel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6c3565c8552c3645cbf0aab3734f81b3898d1d77.jpeg\")
Hazel Greenham, 3, is part of the Imagination Library program.Nicole Cleary<\/p>\n