Claire Galea, Western Sydney University

Dolly Parton had first-hand experience of the effects of limited literacy. Her father could not read or write. He was, she once said,

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.

This sentiment fuelled her passion for encouraging childhood literacy. It drove her to establish the Imagination Library, with the goal of inspiring “a love of reading and learning from a young age”.

Launched in 1995, the Imagination Library sends children enrolled in the program a free, age-appropriate, culturally inclusive book in the mail every month from birth until their fifth birthday. The program began in Sevier County, Tennessee – Parton’s home county – before spreading across the world. It has established roots in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland.

To date, the Imagination Library has distributed 318 million books, with 3.4 million books sent out monthly across these regions.

The Australian program was officially launched in 2013 and now operates in more than 430 locations. Currently, nearly 50,000 Australian children are receiving a free book every month.

Building foundational skills

For the past five years, I have been working firstly on a research project in Tamworth into the effects of the Imagination Library program. As Head of Research at United Way Australia, distributors of the Imagination Library in Australia, I am not involved in the delivery of the program itself. All the data I analysed was de-identified.

The Tamworth region has produced rich data on early childhood literacy. It boasts 98% enrolment of newborns in the Imagination Library program.

The research conducted in Tamworth was then extended to a global sample. Data has been collected from over 86,000 caregivers across the five countries the Imagination Library is delivered in. This study is currently the largest dataset in the world on shared book reading in the home.

One of the key findings from Tamworth was that the program encouraged caregivers to read to their children. Compared to the average Australian child, children in the Imagination Library in Tamworth were found to be read to more often, for longer, and have more books in the home. Further, these early reading routines were maintained.

The worldwide evidence showed that children enrolled in the Imagination Library were significantly more likely to display foundational early literacy skills and to develop an interest in reading compared to those not on the program. In Australia, enrolled children were found to be nine times more likely to be interested in books, 17 times more likely to join in during shared book reading, and six times more likely to demonstrate key emerging literacy skills than those who were not enrolled.

Participants in the study also reported improvements in family interactions during shared book reading. These benefits were evident across socioeconomic differences.

The effects of the program are represented by Abby and her partner, who are raising two boys in regional NSW, aged three and 10 months. They heard about the Imagination Library through a midwife at Tamworth Hospital. Both parents work full time. Although they value reading, they struggled with consistency.

The monthly book delivery removed the guesswork: no browsing, no uncertainty about developmental fit. Says Abby: “It’s simple, it’s free, and the impact goes
beyond just the books. It creates connection, routine and joy.”

Lifelong reading

These results reflect studies into similar book distribution programs. Developing early literacy skills is known to correlate with reading success in later life. The most frequently reported benefit was a strong love of books and reading. Three quarters of participating children in Tamworth asked to be read to daily.

In Australia, the NAPLAN results in 2026 show that a third of Australian children are not meeting Year 3 reading benchmarks. For a skill so fundamental to success across all areas of life, this is a disconcerting reality for a country that prides itself on its education.

A report for the Australian government in 2024 found that children with little to no reading in the home were ten times more likely to grow up with poor language and cognitive development.

The simple act of getting more books into the hands of more children has a significant effect. Over the years, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has spread the gift of reading to households across the world, regardless of their circumstances. Her dream was to ensure all children grow up with books, instilling a lifelong love of reading.

Every 1.3 seconds, a child somewhere in the world receives a free book from Dolly, and her legacy is rekindled.

Claire Galea, Adjunct Fellow, Western Sydney University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.