Country music icon Dolly Parton often called her father, Robert Lee Parton, the smartest man she had ever known, although he was unable to read. Parton also acknowledged his illiteracy probably kept him from fulfilling some of his dreams.
In 1995, as a tribute to her father, she launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an initiative that encourages families to read to their babies and spark an early love of books long before they enter a classroom.
What began in the legendary singer’s birthplace, Sevier County, Tennessee, extended far beyond the mountains where she was raised. Today, the program reaches children in five countries and has given away more than 300 million books.
In Shelby County, Porter-Leath, an early childhood education and family services agency established in 1850, is the sole local affiliate of Parton’s book giveaway, operating Books From Birth for the past nine years.
The local literacy program mails free children’s titles every month to more than 30,000 newborns to 5-year-olds of the 63,000 living in the county, making it the library’s second-largest affiliate, said Wynett Jones, director of Books From Birth.
The Tennessee Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation covers half of the operating costs, and Porter-Leath raises the other half through local foundations, state grants and private donations.
About $25 covers the cost of one book for one child every month for a year.
“The purpose of the program is to impact kindergarten readiness,” Jones said. “The pun is intended when we say it places all of these children on the same page.”
In Shelby County, that mission carries exceptional weight.
According to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools District Scorecard, an academic and operational performance report released in March 2026, only 33.2% of third graders achieved a proficient score on the English language arts section of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, the statewide standardized test commonly called TCAP.
The district has made some progress in recent years. But current proficiency levels still underscore the need for literacy interventions such as introducing children to books for early reading before kindergarten to give them an important advantage.
Porter-Leath partners with hospitals to enroll newborns in the program so they start receiving books soon after birth. Parton’s favorite, “The Little Engine That Could,” is the first title sent to every child.
“What all of this means is that the child is receiving a book in the home with their name on it,” Jones said. “We have heard from families who say that it helped their child recognize and spell their name. Some of them even learn their address from the mailing package.”
In addition to Porter-Leath’s Books From Birth, another notable connection to Parton’s literacy legacy resides in Shelby County, and his name is Sam White.
When Sam was 6 years old, his parents helped him write “You Can Be ABCs,” a children’s book that encourages young readers to imagine what they might become when they grow up. His book was selected for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Before Sam released his book, he and his father drew national attention for their “You Can Be ABCs” rap video, which went viral and led to two appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and garnered other media attention.
Now 12, Sam has his own collection of Imagination Library books, including “You Can Be ABCs,” the book he authored. But it took some time for him to grasp the significance of his book’s inclusion in the collection.
“I can just remember it taking a while before I really realized how cool it was to be selected,” Sam said. “I was still really young when we got that news.”
But he understands it differently now.
“I am proud to be tied to her (Dolly Parton) legacy through my book,” Sam said.
As the tributes for Parton continue — celebrating aspects of her life from her music and acting chops to her kindness and philanthropy — her most consequential legacy may very well be the Imagination Library.
After all, learning to read goes beyond enjoying a good book. Literacy opens the door to education, opportunity and economic mobility. In a city focused on building generational wealth, making sure our children are proficient readers is one of the first places we must start.
— Judith Black Moore is a nonprofit consultant and the founder of Taking Back the Future, a youth-focused nonprofit. With decades of leadership experience at nationally recognized nonprofit organizations, she brings a seasoned, strategic lens to the issues that matter most in the nonprofit sector.
