But before she was an internationally beloved figure, she was just a little girl growing up in a one room cabin up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Her father Robert Lee was illiterate, never being taught to read and write. Dolly would describe her father as one of the smartest men she ever met, and she also saw early on how her father’s lack of access to education in rural Appalachia impacted him and his family.

The literacy gaps for students from low-income families, from rural areas, and from communities of color as compared to their wealthier, suburban peers unfortunately persists today. The literacy gap not only impacts children’s academic potential, but their future income, likelihood of incarceration, and ability to engage with their communities.

But Dolly Parton knew that it is each of our role to do what we can in our communities to make a difference in the lives of children. For Dolly Parton, that meant starting the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, a program that provides free books and literacy resources for our youngest learners. Through this work, she has helped deliver more than 330 million books to children across the world.