It is this passion for literacy that has inspired Parton, now 80, to pledge her support for The Sunday Times Get Britain Reading campaign. Speaking about her reading programme on her Imagination Library website, Parton said: “Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. In America, this is the first book children receive through the programme. On Tuesday, experts in education and psychology will give evidence on the benefits of children reading for pleasure, as MPs begin a new inquiry on the subject.

Source: The Times February 01, 2026 13:16 UTC