Dolly Parton will be remembered for many reasons, one of which is her immense impact on literacy in Prince Edward Island.
The country music icon and philanthropist died at 80 on Aug. 25 following a brief battle with cancer. Her legacy includes 11 Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, a 1999 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But for Jinny Greaves, executive director of the P.E.I. Literacy Alliance, it’s her contributions to children’s literacy that made the biggest difference.
“When you give a child a book, you’re not just giving them a book, you’re giving them an opportunity to imagine, an opportunity to connect with their caregivers and an opportunity to see what is possible in the world,” Greaves said.
“Giving a book to a child is a very powerful and easy thing to do for literacy.”
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995. The program that provides children younger than five free books through mail. The charity began as a tribute to Parton’s father, who was unable to read.
It expanded to the Island in 2020 and is run by the P.E.I. Literacy Alliance.
“She talked openly about her personal experience with her dad,” Greaves said.
“She grew up without books in the home and without a father that could read and write, and I think that … personal experience became a real motivator for her to help other children so that they didn’t experience that.”
The P.E.I. Literacy Alliance’s 2025-26 report on the Imagination Library shows the program led to better access to books and strengthened family reading routines:
- 76 per cent of families read more frequently.
- 85 per cent of children younger than two showed an interest in books.
- 75 per cent of children aged two to five independently engaged with books.
- 79 per cent of children more often asked to be read to.
- 75 per cent of families had a library at home that may not otherwise have been affordable.
‘I’ll try to be a little bit like Dolly’
Back in April, the provincial government announced funding for the Imagination Library was ending as part of cuts in the 2026-27 budget. The alliance emailed users at the time to inform them the last books would be delivered in May.
But the province rolled back the decision just days later after political opposition and feedback from the public.
The fact that the program will continue on P.E.I. will be part of Parton’s legacy, Greaves said, ensuring children receive books by mail “hopefully, for a long, long time.”
“She was such an influential person, but always kept her grace,” Greaves said.
“I just think she was a very good leader and mentor and that we should use her as an example. And I’ll try to be a little bit like Dolly.”
Source: CBC PEI