The world lost an icon. Dolly Parton will be remembered for her music, movies, humor and larger-than-life personality. But when I think of Dolly, I also think about books and the millions of children she inspired to read.
Dolly grew up in the mountains of Tennessee, one of 12 children. Her father could not read or write, which helped inspire her to create Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in 1995.
What began as a program for children in her hometown grew into an international literacy movement. By early 2025, the program had gifted more than 270 million books to children, with free books mailed directly to young readers every month.
Honor Dolly With a Book 📚
Here's a simple way we can help keep Dolly's legacy alive:
Read to your children. Give them books. Let them see you reading. Visit your public library. And share books your family has outgrown with another child.
Grab a children's book from home—or purchase a new one—and place it in a neighborhood Little Free Library (LFL). Better yet, bring your kids along and explain why you're doing it. One thing we love about LFL is they are open 24/7 and our your neighbors way of giving to the community. Sounds in the spirit of Dolly to me.
Find a Little Free Library near you
Here are some of our local libraries.
Boonton: 131 Boonton Ave, 418 Monroe St & 435 Lathrop Ave
Denville: 7 Rockaway Ave
Dover: 14 Hinchman Ave & 9 Leonard Place
Lake Hiawatha: 82 Longview Avenue
Madison: 81 Green Village Rd, 59 Niles Avenue, 23 Rosemont Avenue & 62 Wayne Blvd
Morris Plains: 8 Cleveland Avenue, 4 Cross Rd, 26 Glacier Drive, 31 Southwood Dr
Morristown: 21 Edgewood Rd, 12 Hazlett St., 16 Sherman Pl
Mountain Lakes: 2 Lakewood Dr
Parsippany: 23 Templar Way
Randolph: 103 Center Grove Rd, 37 Charles St, 59 Lawrence Rd
We would love to see a picture of your Little Free Library or you visiting a LFL
And don't forget our wonderful public libraries. Get your kids library cards, attend storytimes, explore the shelves and let them discover books that excite them.
Dolly showed us that something as simple as putting a book into a child's hands can help open an entire world.
So tonight, in Dolly's honor, read one more story. Donate one more book. Help one more child discover the joy of reading. ❤️📚
Rest in peace, Dolly. Your light—and your love of reading—will live on.
Update: check out this great opportunity with Pizza Hut and Little Free Library to apply for your own stocked library!
https://littlefreelibrary.org/2026/09/pizza-hut-turns-its-iconic-red-roofs-into-miniature-little-hut-libraries-across-the-country/
