To Christopher Kaberline’s two young girls, Dolly Parton isn’t an iconic global music legend. She’s “Grandma Dolly.”
That’s because they’ve grown up reading books provided for free by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, titles like “I Am A Rainbow,” “Ice Cream Face” and “Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?”
On Tuesday, after news of Parton’s death at age 80, Kaberline of Prairie Village took to social media to honor the singer and philanthropist and her impact on his daughters and other children who have received books over the years.
“We’ve spent hours reading books she has sent us. If we all lived a life trying to be half as good of a person as Dolly Parton was, the world would be such a wonderful place. Humanity lost a great one today. We’ll read I Am a Rainbow tonight. Thank you for your impact Dolly,” Kaberline wrote.
He posted a picture of some of the books his family has received over the years.
The Imagination Library says that if a child enrolls in the program as an infant, they will have 60 free books of their own by the time they age out at five years old.
First Shawnee Mission, then all of Kansas
Parton made waves in Johnson County in 2022 when the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation announced it was becoming the first Johnson County school district to team up with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to provide free books once a month to all children 5 and younger in the district.
On Tuesday, Rachel Schuck, development director with the foundation, said they were saddened to hear of Parton’s passing but proud of the legacy she left for local kids.
“The Shawnee Mission Education Foundation was proud to be the first Imagination Library partner in Johnson County, helping bring free books and a love of reading to children across our community. Dolly’s legacy reminds us of the power of a book to inspire a child’s imagination and open the door to endless possibilities. We are grateful to have played a part in that legacy and to see her vision continue to reach Kansas children today,” Shuck said on behalf of the foundation.
A year after free Dolly Parton books started being sent to Shawnee Mission children, the Imagination Library expanded statewide with the help of a $1.5 million grant from the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund.
For that occasion, Parton herself came to Johnson County, appearing on stage with Gov. Laura Kelly at White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park.
Parton told a crowd of about 500 that day about how her father, Robert Lee Parton, was very smart but always “troubled” by his inability to read or write.
She said this taught her the importance of reading from an early age, which is something she hopes to impart to children across the country through her Imagination Library.
“It’s just one of those things that has started out for the right reasons, and it’s continued for the right reasons,” she said.
Towards the end of the program, she sang her hit song, “Coat of Many Colors,” as well as “Try,” the theme song for the Imagination Library.
“I wake up with new dreams every day and new thoughts every day, and I’ll continue dreaming,” she said in 2023. “I love to share, I’ve been blessed and I’m in every position to share.”
More than 16,000 JoCo kids now enrolled
The Kansas Office of Early Childhood, which helps adminiser Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Kansas, said more than 78,280 children in Kansas are now actively enrolled in the program, receiving free books each month.
In Johnson County, there are 16,367 children enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
In a statement Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Kansas Office of Early Childhood said they were “deeply saddened by the passing of music legend and lifelong champion for children Dolly Parton. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends during this difficult time.
“We are profoundly grateful for her inspiring work and her unwavering commitment to fostering a love of reading from an early age through the Imagination Library. Her dedication and vision have positively impacted Kansas children and families across the state, and KOEC is proud to continue her legacy through the Imagination Library of Kansas.”
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library began in Tennessee in 1995, and the organization says it has gifted more than 200 million books in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland in the more than 30 years since.
Parton’s legacy of engendering a love of reading prompted locally owned Fairway bookshop Rainy Day Books to post a tribute to Parton on Tuesday:
View this post on Instagram
The post attributes a quote to Parton, who once said, “If I’m remembered 100 years from now, I hope it will be not for looks but for books.”
