Introduction
In an era when so much of childhood happens on a screen, something quietly old-fashioned—and profoundly hopeful—is showing up in mailboxes across Hernando, Mississippi: a brand-new book, addressed to a child, delivered month after month like a promise kept.
City leaders and local volunteers say more than 50,000 free books have now reached Hernando children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library since the program launched in the city. That number isn’t just a milestone—it’s a snapshot of thousands of small moments: a toddler patting the cover, a parent reading one more page, a grandparent listening from the sofa and smiling at a familiar ritual.
And here’s the thing older Americans understand better than anyone: the strongest memories are often built from ordinary routines. Supper on the table. A light left on in the hallway. A story read aloud when the rest of the house finally goes quiet.
A Book in the Mail Is More Than a Book
Hernando’s local partner, Hernando Excel By 5, explains that the program mails books directly to children’s homes every month—no pickup required, no special access needed, no “good luck finding time.” The simplicity is the genius: families don’t have to be “perfect readers” or have a big home library already. The book arrives anyway, like a gentle nudge that says, Start here.
For many households, especially those juggling long workdays and tight budgets, that consistency matters. Not everyone can stroll into a bookstore and grab a stack of picture books on a whim. But a book that shows up free, reliably, and addressed to your child? That changes what feels possible.
It also changes what a child learns about themselves: This is for me. My name is on it. I deserve stories.
Who Qualifies in Hernando
In Hernando, the guidelines are straightforward:
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Children from birth to age five qualify for one free book each month.
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Children must live within Hernando city limits to stay enrolled.
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If a child moves outside the city limits, they are automatically removed from the program.
It’s the kind of local boundary that can feel frustrating—but it reflects how the Imagination Library works nationwide: the books are funded through a partnership model, with local community partners helping bring the program to their area.
Dolly’s “Why” Still Hits Home—Especially for Older Readers
The Imagination Library began in 1995, inspired by Dolly Parton’s father, who never had the chance to learn to read and write. That origin story matters, because it explains why this isn’t celebrity branding. It’s something deeper: a life lesson turned into a public gift.
As of June 2025, Dolly Parton’s organization reported the program gifts over 3 million books each month and had delivered over 284 million books across multiple countries. In other words, Hernando’s 50,000 books aren’t a small local feel-good headline—they’re part of one of the largest early-literacy efforts of its kind.
But numbers don’t tell the real story.
The real story is what happens when a child sits in your lap and asks for the same book again. When a parent who feels stretched thin still finds five minutes to read. When a family without many “extras” discovers that stories can be their richest tradition.
Why This Matters Right Now
Older, educated readers know that a community doesn’t rise or fall on slogans. It rises or falls on what it repeatedly invests in—especially at the beginning of life.
A book a month can’t fix everything. But it can plant something durable: attention span, vocabulary, imagination, comfort, curiosity. And for a child, those aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re foundational.
So if you live in Hernando, here’s the question worth asking—maybe even at the dinner table tonight:
Do the youngest children in your life have books that feel like they belong to them?
If not, this program was built for that exact gap.
How to Sign Up
Parents and guardians can enroll eligible children through the City of Hernando’s Imagination Library page (which includes the sign-up link and details).
And if you’re a grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, or neighbor reading this—share it. Because the next 50,000 books don’t happen by accident. They happen because a community decides that childhood stories are worth delivering, one mailbox at a time.