Local & Community
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Legacy Continues to Reach South Florida Families
Families in South Florida are remembering Dolly Parton not only through her music, but also through her legacy of helping children develop a love of reading.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted more than 38,000 books to about 2,000 children in Palm Beach County, providing families with a new, age-appropriate book each month.
For Dylan Nicholson of Wellington, the books became part of his childhood and helped foster his love of reading.
His mother, Christina Nicholson, said the experience began with her reading to Dylan when he was young.
“It started with me reading to him. And then eventually it was him reading to me. He reads to me a lot now,” Nicholson said.
Dylan received dozens of books through the Imagination Library from birth through age 5.
“It was very cool for the kids to get these delivered and once a month, Dylan would get a new book,” Nicholson said. “It was pretty cool because in the mail it would come addressed to him.”
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father’s inability to read and write. The program provides free books to children from birth through age 5 in participating communities. Today, the program operates in five countries.
In Palm Beach County, Christen Thompson, director of the local Imagination Library, said the program’s impact can be seen both locally and around the world.
“So that impact really can be seen at a global level and also right here in our community,” Thompson said.
The books are selected by early childhood experts and delivered directly to participating children, helping families build home libraries without having to pay for the books.
Nicholson said the program has also introduced her family to books she might not have otherwise purchased.
“They are literary experts that pick which book gets sent out every month,” she said. “But we love the stories and they’re new books that I wouldn’t think to buy at a bookstore.”
Families interested in participating can check whether the Imagination Library is available in their area and register through the program’s website.
For families who have benefited from the program, the books represent more than a monthly delivery. They have become part of the experience of reading together, learning together and creating memories at home.
“There’s just so many great resources that you don’t have to pay for and you can help by supporting,” Nicholson said. “That’s big support for the Imagination Library.”
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
By: NBC Palm Springs
September 18, 2026
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