Dolly Parton’s poignant final Imagination Library letter has been shared with the public following her death a week ago, at the age of 80, after a brief battle with cancer.
The Imagination Library is a book donation program to provide children from birth to age five with free books every month, which started in America and launched in the United Kingdom in 2008.
In her latest letter, the 9-to-5 country music icon encouraged children to “dream big” and “be anyone you want to be” and said “every book is a treasure.”
She wrote, “Dear Imagination Library graduate… Every book is a treasure and every time you open one, you meet new friends and take wonderful journeys to magical places.
“There’s no limit to what you can do or how far you can go.”
Dolly Parton’s poignant final Imagination Library letter has been revealed in which she encouraged children to ‘dream big’ and ‘be anyone you want to be’
The Imagination Library is a book donation program that provides children from birth to five years of age with free books every month
The letter ends with three pieces of advice that Dolly received from her family.
‘Dream big dreams; learn all you can learn; and care for everyone who cares for you. You can be anyone you want to be.
“You are amazing, and remember…I will always love you, Dolly.
The message is not entirely new, it is only the first time it has been shared as a letter. A 2022 video also featured Parton delivering the same message.
Dolly previously said the Imagination Library program was inspired by her father, Robert Lee, who could not read and write because he had to leave school to work as a child.
She told PEOPLE in 2022, “That always made me feel bad about my dad, so I started doing it based on that, just for our province.
“It’s come on by leaps and bounds since then, but it came from a place in my heart to try to help children in their younger years, their most impressionable years, to read and write.”
In her latest letter, the 9-to-5 country music icon encouraged children to “dream big” and “be anyone you want to be” and said “every book is a treasure.”
Last year, the Imagination Library distributed more than 3.4 million books to children in the U.S. and abroad each month, and since launch, more than 300 million books have been made available.
Dolly previously said, “I’m as proud of the Imagination Library as anything I’ve ever done in my life.”
Dolly’s family asked fans to honor her legacy by supporting the Imagination Library in lieu of sending flowers.
It was previously reported that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donated $2 million to it in July, ahead of their wedding.
Dolly responded with a sweet video at the time, saying, “I am overwhelmed and overjoyed by that gratitude.
“Now it’s clear that you two have made giving back an important part of your lives. So, hey, if you have your firstborn, can I have it? Because that will be a special baby.’
Elsewhere, Dolly’s legacy ensures her legacy lives on.
The late country icon will be remembered with a two-day music festival that will take place in both Nashville and London next year.
DollyFest takes place over two consecutive weekends, but the idea isn’t brand new.
The festival was originally scheduled to take place in January 2026 and Parton was set to serve as performer and host.
“We will bring to life what Dolly started,” said Danny Nozell, founder/CEO of CTK Enterprises, in a press release.
“Many people behind the scenes know that DOLLYFEST is a dream of Dolly’s that would take place in Nashville on her 80th birthday.”
The statement released Monday on DollyParton.com explained that the star’s health issues delayed the event. However, they have continued to organize the gathering for fans.
“We had the venue booked and we had the announcement ready to go. And then, in August 2025, Dolly had to take a step back after her initial health problems,” the website said.
“A lot of people always say WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?), and right now DOLLYFEST is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!).
DollyFest will feature several artists, the statement confirmed.
While there may be other events in the pipeline to celebrate and commemorate the Jolene singer, Nozell points out that this is an event that Parton has had a unique hand in creating.
“We don’t discourage people from celebrating Dolly in the way they choose,” Nozell continued.
“But as far as a traditional memorial goes, that’s not something Dolly wanted. So instead, it feels more appropriate if we take it a step further, let all the tributes that are immediately meaningful arise naturally, and then see through this festival-like concept that was really created by Dolly.”
