Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Brings the Joy of Reading to Thousands

By Casey Chaffin, The West Side Newspaper

Every month, Cassandra Hernandez walks her three-year-old to the mailbox to see what Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has in store.

“It’s such a special thing for a child who doesn't have a lot of autonomy to be able to walk to the mailbox, and I get to say, ‘this is just for you,’” said Hernandez.

A recent favorite book Hernandez’s child received was called Buffalo Fluffalo, which, according to the book’s description, is about a buffalo named Fluffalo who has “had enuffalo.”

“We read that for weeks on end,” Hernandez said. Hernandez, in addition to being a mom, coordinates the Marion-Polk region of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) program, which ships free books to children ages zero to five. DPIL is an initiative of the beloved country singer’s Dollywood Foundation, and is administered locally by the Marion-Polk Early Learning Hub. The program offers books in English, Spanish, bilingual in English and Spanish, and Braille.

Hernandez’s child is just one of more than 9,000 children currently enrolled across Marion-Polk counties. The program has no income caps; any family with a child age zero to five is eligible to receive their monthly book. In West Salem, 680 youth are enrolled – about 40% of eligible children in the area.

“Ideally we’d like all children in the age range in the region enrolled,” said Margie Lowe, the former DPIL coordinator who, even after retirement, continues to volunteer to support the program.

In Oregon, the program’s cost of $2.60 per child per month is split evenly between the state and service providers. The labor behind the program is shared as well. The local service provider handles the “front end” tasks, including recruitment and enrollment, while the Dolly Parton charity handles “back end” tasks, including selecting and shipping books to families. In West Salem, the West Salem Neighborhood Association, the Salem Leadership Foundation, and Capital Manor are all fiscal sponsors for the 97304 zip code.

“Dolly’s program is a cost effective and fun way to champion this work,” Lowe said.

While the books provided by the DPIL encourage reading as a “joyful” practice, Lowe also hopes that putting more books in the hands of children will help support other initiatives to increase childhood literacy rates in the area. In the Salem-Keizer School District, only a quarter of third graders scored “proficient” in English language arts testing, according to the Spring 2025 Oregon Statewide Assessment System “We want those literacy numbers to be stronger and we want children to love reading,” Lowe said.

That’s part of the reason why every book provided by the DPIL includes guiding questions for parents to ask their children after reading the book together. These questions help “scaffold” conversations that ensure children understand what they’re reading and engage with the themes of the book, Hernandez said.

To support the Marion-Polk DPIL, the Early Learning Hub is in the midst of planning their annual Storybook Character Adventure, a fundraiser held in September to raise money for the program. The event will be held at the Salem Center, and will feature volunteers dressed as storybook characters. Families can buy tickets for dinner, refreshments, and meet-and-greets with the characters, and all proceeds will go to supporting the DPIL locally. The nonprofit is also looking for local businesses interested in sponsoring the event.

Aside from the upcoming fundraiser, another event worth looking forward to: “Once any state goes statewide, Dolly commits to visiting,” Lowe said. She added that she hopes Parton will choose Salem to visit, since it’s the state’s capital.

The Early Learning Hub does more than bring the DPIL to children in the area, they also support families and educators with coordinated entry into preschool, kindergarten readiness, and professional development opportunities.

To learn more about the organization’s work or sign up a child for the Imagination Library, visit parentinghub.org. To learn how to support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, reach out to Margie Lowe (dpil@earlylearninghub.org) or Cassandra Hernandez (chernandez@earlylearninghub.org).