“Goodnight with Dolly” will be a 10-part bedtime stories series, and will be streamed on YouTube, starting on April 2. The series will draw books for Parton’s popular Imagination Library, a non-profit project that delivers free books to children across the world.
Launched in 1995, the Imagination Library mails a high-quality, age-appropriate book to registered children every month, free of charge. The program supports children in the US, Australia, the UK and Ireland. Among those who take part in Imagination Library, Parton is known as the “The Book Lady”.
In light of new isolation restrictions and school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parton has committed to providing a new online resource for parents and children.
“Dolly hopes this series of stories will provide comfort and reassurance to coping kids and families during the shelter-in-place mandates,” the Imagination Library said.
The first book to be read aloud by Parton will be The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper.
“This is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while, but the timing never felt quite right,” Parton said in a statement on the Imagination Library’s website.
“I think it is pretty clear that now is the time to share a story and to share some love. It is an honor for me to share the incredible talent of these authors and illustrators. They make us smile, they make us laugh and they make us think.”
The iconic country singer has also announced she is donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University’s coronavirus research.
I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) April 1, 2020