Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Expands to Major US City in Wake of Her Death

Less than a month after the untimely passing of music legend Dolly Parton, the late-singer’s Imagination Library is expanding to San Diego.

The Imagination Library partnered with the Dr. Seuss Foundation to provide free books to San Diego County children up to five years of age.

Katie Rast, the CEO of the Dr. Seuss Foundation commented on the partnership, saying, “Through the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton has made millions of books accessible to young children. We are proud to honor Dolly’s legacy by working in a partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to ensure every young child in San Diego County can develop a lifelong love of reading.”

Rast’s comments were reported via NBC San Diego.

To date, Dolly’s Imagination Library has gifted more than 330 million books to children since launching in 1995. The book gifting program, which mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income, originally distributed to children in Sevier County, Tennessee only.  The location was selected because it’s where Dolly grew up.

By 2019, every state in the United States, along with parts of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland were part of Imagination Library.

San Diego’s participation in the program is backed by Senate Bill 1183 which was co-authored by former Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Senator Shannon Grove. Statewide funding is also used, along with funds raised by each local community.

“Dr. Seuss is to San Diego what Dolly Parton is to Tennessee, an iconic figure whose extraordinary imagination and generosity have inspired generations. This historic partnership brings together the legacies of Ted and Audrey Geisel and Dolly Parton, three visionary philanthropists united by the profound belief in the power of books to transform a child’s life,” Atkins said, per NBC San Diego.

Imagination Library, per the program’s official site, states that as of 2024, 14 percent of children across the U.S. under the age of five receives a book in the mail each month from the program.

Dolly Parton passed away last month following a brief battle with cancer. She was 80-years-old.