Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has given millions of children access to books, with the programme’s impact continuing to be felt across the UK following the singer’s death at 80. Launched in 1995 in Tennessee in honour of Parton’s father, who was unable to read or write, the initiative now sends free books to registered children each month until they turn five.

In the UK, the programme has distributed seven million books since its launch in 2007, while more than 332 million books have been sent globally across the UK, US, Australia, Canada and Ireland. On the Isle of Man alone, more than 1,000 children have registered since the scheme launched locally at Christmas, receiving more than 3,500 books.

The programme’s legacy has been praised by former UK MP Martin Salter, who helped bring it to his constituency, as a way of making reading part of everyday life in homes where books may not otherwise be present. Dolly Parton’s literary legacy therefore extends beyond her music, through a reading initiative that continues to place books directly in children’s hands.

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