DOLLY PARTON !DONS! : READING HONOURS PRECIS

IT WAS sad but strangely fitting that Dolly Parton should have died during the UK's National Year of Reading, given the way the much-loved country singer used her wealth and influence to promote Reading.

Parton's Imagination Library has provided hundreds of millions to pre-school children around the world since 1995.

While books are of course important, my working as a reading and language academic makes clear this must be complemented with robust reading instruction and support that is sustained through childhood and adolescence for those who need it.

The singer was well aware that she was judged by her appearance, and used this to her advantage. Behind her almost ''cartoonish'' cover was incredibly smart woman who used her profile to address the thing she cared about :

Community, Poverty, Education and Reading.

For the Tennessee community, she built the Dollywood theme park in 1986 to bring employment, the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to promote education and the Imagination Library in 1995 to give children access to books.

The Imagination Library gifts a book a month to children from birth to five years. It has extended this delight and service to Canada, the UK, Australia and Ireland.

!WOW! thanks Jessie Ricketts.