Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library inspires a love of reading in South Florida kids

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. — Cities across the country have teamed up with Dolly Parton’s nonprofit, Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from newborns to age 5.

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Like the beloved children’s book “The Little Engine That Could,” Parton created the Imagination Library to inspire kids to learn, dream and achieve.

In 2026, the nonprofit sends books to children around the world. Two of those children are right here in South Florida.

Lauren Dieppa enjoys reading with her two little ones, Max and Ava. They have each received a book every month from the Imagination Library since they were newborns.

“Every time we get a book in the mail that night they’re reading it,” Dieppa said.

Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 as a tribute to her father. It began in her home county of East Tennessee before expanding to several states and eventually other countries.

The program has thousands of community partners that help bring it to their own cities. The city of Miami Lakes is one of them.

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“We started partnering with the Imagination Library since 2004,” said Clarissell De Cardenas, communications and community affairs director for the city of Miami Lakes.

Here’s how it works: Parents register their child on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library website. The town covers the cost of the book and the mailing.

“The parent registers their child on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library website,” De Cardenas said.

“The town covers the cost of the book and the mailing.”

The Imagination Library selects the books, making sure they are age-appropriate, and handles mailing them directly to the children’s homes.

It’s a partnership that delivers plenty of benefits while helping ensure Parton’s dream and legacy as the “Book Lady” will continue to empower generations to come.

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