The emotional message is included with the final book children receive through the literacy programme when they turn five, marking the end of their time in the programme as they prepare to begin school.
Parton died on August 25, 2026, leaving behind a legacy that extended far beyond her music career, including decades of work supporting children’s literacy and education.
In the letter, Parton reflects on how quickly the children have grown since they first began receiving books as babies.
She encourages them not to stop reading after graduating from the programme and urges them to make use of their local public libraries.
“Every book is a treasure,” Parton wrote, encouraging the young readers to see books as opportunities to meet new friends and discover new places through their imagination.
She also offered advice to the children as they prepared to start school, reminding them that there is no limit to what they can achieve.
Parton encouraged the young graduates to dream big, continue learning and care for the people who care for them.
She concluded the letter with a message of affection, signing it, “I Will Always Love You, Dolly.”
The letter was not written as a farewell following her death. Instead, it formed part of the regular graduation experience for children completing the Imagination Library programme.
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 through the Dollywood Foundation. The programme was inspired in part by her father, Robert Lee Parton, who could not read or write.
The initiative provides free, age-appropriate books to children from birth until they turn five, regardless of their families’ income. It has since expanded internationally and become one of the world’s largest early childhood book-gifting programmes.
The programme has distributed more than 300 million books worldwide, reaching millions of children and helping promote early childhood literacy and a love of reading.
Parton frequently described the Imagination Library as one of the achievements of which she was most proud.
Her final message to the young readers now offers a lasting reflection of the values she hoped to pass on: a love of books, the courage to dream and the importance of caring for others.
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