Alamogordo NM
5-31-2025 6:16am

New Mexico Governor expands Dolly Parton Imagination Library statewide

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham today signed an executive order to expand the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, ensuring every New Mexico child from birth to age five has access to free monthly books delivered to their home.

The signing ceremony included Lt. Governor Howie Morales, Early Childhood Education and Care Department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, and local program leaders who have championed literacy efforts across the state.

“Today, we’re unlocking the potential of our youngest minds and transforming the future of New Mexico one book at a time,” said Governor Lujan Grisham. “Every New Mexican child deserves the chance to grow up with books in their home and stories in their hands. Imagination Library proves what’s possible when we invest in our children’s futures.”

With an additional $1 million in funding for FY26, the program will be able to serve 30,000 more children in every zip code across New Mexico, offering each up to 60 free, high-quality books by the time they turn five. To date, nearly 2 million books have been mailed to families statewide. This investment builds on a grassroots effort that began in 2010 in Grant County, where the program first reached just eight children.

The Imagination Library program addresses a critical need in New Mexico. Research shows that in homes receiving Imagination Library books, daily reading with children nearly doubled from 17% to 33%.

New Mexico joins 20 other states offering Imagination Library programs statewide, following Tennessee’s pioneering 2004 effort.

Download Dolly Parton’s video celebrating New Mexico at the following link:https://we.tl/t-vGJYIjiC7C

In 1995, Dolly launched her Imagination Library in Sevier County, TN, where she was born and raised. Inspired by her own father’s inability to read or write, she determined that there had to be a way to help children fall in love with books. The program sent free books to children from birth to age five and helped inspire a love of reading in the lives of the children in the mountains of her youth.

Great ideas and unselfish dreams always have wings to fly, and such is the case with Dolly’s Imagination Library. It spread from one county to the entire state of Tennessee. The excitement and results of the program kept growing until it spread all over the United States. From there, it expanded to Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.

Generations of young children and adults affectionately call Dolly ‘The Book Lady,’ a title Dolly warmly embraces and one that gave her father great pride.

With over 270 million free, age-appropriate books mailed to date, Dolly’s Imagination Library is just getting started, and there seems to be no slowing down in sight!

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5-31-2025 8:11am

Dolly has started a great program and I commend her efforts.

I know it's been a while since I've bought a children's book, but I don't think $33 per book would be considered a bargain even at today's prices.

It would seem that someone is making some money off of this that would be better spent on the children themselves.

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6-01-2025 6:31am

I neglected to account for the fact that the program gives up to 12 books a year to children, bringing the cost per book to under $3, a very reasonable price indeed.
My apologies for the omission.

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