Country music legend Dolly Parton is being honoured at public libraries across Simcoe County. The Innisfil ideaLAB & Library created a booklist dedicated to the legend, filled with material like “Ain’t Nobody’s Fool – The Life and Times of Dolly Parton,” a biography, “Christmas on the Square,” a movie she starred in and “Run, Rose, Run,” a novel she wrote with James Patterson. There’s also “Dolly Parton: Songteller, My Life in Lyrics,” which brings readers behind the scenes into the lyrics and personal stories of her songs. The Bracebridge Public Library has created a book display that recognizes her music and philanthropic efforts. Parton was not only known for her contributions to the music industry, but also her work in improving literacy for children around the world. The country music icon first started Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father who could not read or write. The largest-ever shared book reading study of its kind found the program significantly improved early literacy for children in five countries, including Canada, with parts of the Simcoe County region lucky enough to have the program. “Dolly understood that a book can open a door, spark a child’s imagination, bring a family together, and help a young reader see a bigger world,” the Barrie Public Library said in a social media post. Completely free for families, the program involves sending a book a month to every child between aged zero to five. Starting with board books for babies to picture books for toddlers, by the time the child is 5, they will have had 60 books in their hands already, a solid start to their own little library. Since the program first launched the Simcoe County chapter in October 2023 by the Kiwanis Club of Barrie, the club was giving away 100 books every month but has since increased to 200 per month. Parton died earlier this week after a brief bout of cancer at age 80.
