Dolly Parton’s Dad Inspired Her to Create the Imagination Library And What He Told Her Meant Everything

Dolly Parton gave the world countless songs, unforgettable performances, and a lifetime of memories. But one of the most meaningful things she ever created was inspired by someone who rarely stood in the spotlight — her father, Lee Parton.

Lee was a hardworking man who grew up without the opportunity to learn how to read or write. Dolly never forgot how much that affected his life.

So when Dolly became successful, she began thinking about the children growing up in the same part of Tennessee where she had been raised. She wanted to give them something she believed every child should have — the chance to discover the world through books.

In 1995, Dolly created the Imagination Library in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee. The idea was simple but powerful: provide young children with free books and help them develop a love of reading from an early age.

What began as a local program eventually became something much bigger.

By 2000, the Imagination Library had expanded beyond Tennessee, and in 2003, the organization celebrated giving away its one-millionth book.

Today, more than 330 million free books have been delivered to children across the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

But behind all those numbers is a deeply personal story.

Dolly always remembered how proud her father was of the Imagination Library. Before he passed away, he told his daughter just how important he believed her work was.

Dolly later shared his words in a letter on the Imagination Library’s official website:

“Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy.”

She went on to explain why his words touched her so deeply:

“He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”

Those words reveal something important about why the Imagination Library meant so much to Dolly.

She wasn’t simply giving children books.

She was taking something her father had been denied and turning it into an opportunity for an entirely new generation.

A child receiving a free book might discover a new world, learn something they never knew, or simply fall in love with reading. And for Dolly, every one of those moments was connected to the memory of her dad.

Lee Parton died in 2000 at the age of 79. Dolly’s mother, Avie Lee, passed away three years later at age 80.

Dolly would go on to accomplish more than most people could ever imagine, but her father’s words remained especially meaningful because they came from the man who knew her long before the fame.

And perhaps that’s what makes the Imagination Library such a beautiful part of her legacy.

Dolly took a childhood memory, a father’s struggle, and a simple idea — and turned them into millions of opportunities for children around the world. 

Her music may be what made her famous, but the gift she created through the Imagination Library will continue reaching children long after the final song has ended.