By Heather Michon
Each month, hundreds of young children across Fluvanna County find a book waiting for them in the mail.
It comes from Dolly Parton.
The singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist, who died last week at 80, achieved virtually every honor the entertainment world could offer over a career spanning nearly six decades.
Yet she often said she wanted to be remembered most of all as “the Book Lady.”
Parton established the nonprofit Imagination Library through the Dollywood Foundation in 1995. She was inspired by her father, Lee Parton, whom she described as one of the smartest people she had ever known, but who never had the opportunity to learn to read or write.
The goal was simple: to foster a love of reading early in life by ensuring that children had books of their own, regardless of their families’ income. Registered children receive one free, age-appropriate book each month from birth until their fifth birthday.
The program initially served children in Parton’s native Sevier County, Tenn. Its first book order totaled about 1,800 copies. Today, it is active in all 50 states, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. Since its inception, it has sent out more than 330 million books.
Fluvanna’s Imagination Library
The Dollywood Foundation manages book selection and handles bulk ordering for the program, but relies heavily on local affiliates to get books into the hands of those who need them.
The program reached Fluvanna in the winter of 2023, when eight local residents established Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Fluvanna County: Brandon and Virginia Chiesa, Tami Russell, Deb Lugar, Lori Click, Cyndi Hoffman, Cynthia Peck and Elaine Jennings.
“We have the dual purpose of signing up as many eligible kids in the county as we can, and also to raise funds so that each of those children can receive a book a month at no cost to them,” said Brandon Chiesa. “Thanks to the work of Dolly’s organization, each delivered book only costs our chapter about $2.”
So far, over 1,000 kids in Fluvanna have been enrolled in the program, and 700 children in the county currently receive a book each month. “That is more than half of the eligible kids in Fluvanna,” Chiesa notes.
The cost to the local organization is around $16,800 annually. According to the group, all money donated to the Fluvanna chapter goes toward purchasing and mailing books. The chapter has no overhead expenses.
Organizers reach out to families wherever they gather. Volunteers have attended the Fluvanna County Fair, food drives and other community events. They have also worked with the Fluvanna County Public Library, Central Elementary School, the Ruritan Club, Women in Business and Quick Start Tennis. Beautiful Gate Ministries serves as the chapter’s community sponsor, while its child-care program, The Starting Gate, has also helped connect the program with local families.
Literacy Impacts
The books change as children grow, with different age groups receiving titles selected for their developmental stage.
Every child’s first shipment, regardless of the age at which the child enrolls, includes The Little Engine That Could. It was Parton’s favorite childhood book and one whose message of perseverance remained important to her throughout her life.
The final book arrives during the month the child turns 5: Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson.
Chiesa said the program’s reach is already evident in Fluvanna schools.
“Of the 209 kindergartners in our schools assessed last fall, 167 of them had already been enrolled in the program,” he said. “Literacy readiness in that class rose from 72 percent to 77 percent compared with the prior year.”
The figures do not by themselves establish cause and effect, but they offer an encouraging early indication. Studies of the Imagination Library have generally found that participating families own more children’s books, read together more frequently and report greater interest in reading.
Several evaluations have also associated participation in the program with stronger literacy skills at kindergarten entry. A rigorous 2025 Colorado study found modest but meaningful increases in early-literacy scores.
“We are all incredibly honored and proud to be even a small part of Dolly’s tremendous legacy,” the local organizers said in a statement.
Following Parton’s death, her family asked that people donate to the Imagination Library in lieu of sending flowers.
“That is the most Dolly thing we can think of,” said Chiesa. “She already knew how she wanted to be remembered: not with a monument, but with a child who can read.”
To learn more about how to enroll eligible children or support the local program, visit imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/VAFLUVANNA.
