My two-month-old son had a doctors appointment last week. As we were walking out of the house I checked the mailbox and let out a delighted shriek the moment I opened it. Inside was his very first book from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a crisp copy of The Little Engine That Could.
I handed it over to him as my husband carried him in the carseat, and he gripped it in his teeny tiny hands as though it were treasure. In a way, it was.
For those who haven’t heard of the program, the Imagination Library mails a free, ageappropriate book every month to children from birth to age 5. No strings, no subscription fees, just a steadfast belief that reading aloud to children early and often sets them up for a lifetime of learning. What began in 1995 as a local project in Parton’s home county in Tennessee now sends books to more than 2 million children across five countries. That’s not just charity; it’s nation-building.
Sitting in the doctors office reading my son this book was a small, ordinary joy. But it carried a heavy echo. I kept thinking about the countless children who will never feel that spark of recognition, who will grow up without a bedtime story, who will enter kindergarten already behind, who may never catch up.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, roughly one in five U.S. adults struggles with basic reading tasks.
One in five.
They are our neighbors, our co-workers, parents at the playground. Many can sound out words but cannot confidently navigate a job application, read a prescription label or understand a lease agreement. Functional illiteracy isn’t just a personal hurdle, it’s a public crisis that limits opportunity and perpetuates poverty.
Research shows that children who are read to daily have a larger vocabulary, stronger comprehension and better critical-thinking skills.
Yet too many homes simply don’t have books. For families juggling multiple jobs or living paycheck to paycheck, a shelf of picture books can feel like a luxury. That’s why a free book in the mailbox isn’t just a cute idea. It’s a lifeline.
Parents and caregivers matter even more than the books themselves. Reading aloud is more than decoding words on a page… it’s shared laughter at a silly rhyme, questions about a character’s choices, the soothing cadence of a parent’s voice. Those moments teach language, yes, but they also teach attention, empathy and the quiet magic of connection. When we read to our children, we tell them: You are worth my time, and stories matter.
Parton, who grew up in a family where money was tight but imagination was rich, understood that. Her Imagination Library is not only a gift of paper and ink, it’s a challenge to all of us. We can sign up the babies in our lives. We can volunteer with local literacy programs. We can donate gently used books to shelters and food banks. We can model reading for our kids, whether it’s a novel, a newspaper or a cookbook.
The stakes are high. Literacy affects everything from graduation rates to civic participation. A community full of readers is a community better equipped to vote, to work, to innovate and to care for one another. Conversely, a community where adults can’t read well is more vulnerable to misinformation and economic hardship.
That little blue train in my son’s new book famously chants, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. It’s a mantra for every parent and child sitting down with a story tonight. We can build a culture where reading is not a privilege but a given. We can refuse to accept a world where functional illiteracy quietly sidelines millions of adults.
When I tuck my son in and open a book, I’m doing more than entertaining him. I’m helping to write the opening chapter of his own story, a story I hope will be filled with curiosity, confidence and compassion. And thanks to a singer from the Smoky Mountains who believes in the power of a good book, he’s already off to a promising start.
Be kind to your neighbors Be kind to your pets Read to the children in your lives, the whole world will be better for it