Dolly Parton's Book Program Just Got a $1 Million Gift

On October 21, some of the biggest names in country music came to Nashville. They sang the songs of Dolly Parton.

The show had a long name: CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton. It was held at Belmont University.

Carrie Underwood sang with the whole cast. Ella Langley sang “Jolene.” Ashley McBryde sang “Coat of Many Colors.” You can watch the show now on Disney+ and Hulu.

A gift for little readers

The best news came at the end of the night. The Country Music Association announced a gift of $1 million. The money goes to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Four groups joined to give the money: the CMA, Belmont University, The Walt Disney Company, and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.

A free book in the mail can be the start of a life of reading.

How the Imagination Library works

Dolly Parton started the program in 1995. She started it in her home county in East Tennessee.

Her dad could not read or write. She wanted every child to grow up with books of their own.

Here is how it works. A child signs up as a baby. One free book comes in the mail each month. The books stop when the child turns five.

The numbers are huge

So far, the program has given away 343,596,903 books. That is not a typo. It is a lot of books.

More than 3.1 million kids are signed up. The program runs in five countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.

A kind goodbye

Dolly Parton died in August. This night was a way to say thank you to her.

Her gift to kids is still growing. If you have a child under five, you can check if the program runs in your town. The books cost nothing. That was Dolly's whole idea.