Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could, the first episode of Goodnight With Dolly, Dolly Parton’s series of bedtime stories for children, exceeded all expectations over the weekend, garnering nearly six million views across Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and The Imagination Library’s own website. Since its inception in 1995, the Imagination Library has gifted more than 135 million books to children and is currently gifting books to 1.5 million children around the world each month.
The event was produced by Dollywood and Abramorama in association with The Dollywood Foundation.
Goodnight With Dolly features Dolly Parton reading a series of Imagination Library books all carefully chosen for their appropriate content at this moment in time. Dolly welcomes the viewers and introduces the title, author and illustrator. Snuggled in bed with her Imagination Library book, Dolly shares stories that are just right for this moment in time. The readings will be a mixture of Dolly and the interior pages of the books. In addition to The Little Engine That Could, the books will include There’s a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake by Loren Long, Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney, I Am a Rainbow by Dolly Parton, Pass It On by Sophy Henn, Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell, Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen, Max & The Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper, Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and scheduled for this Thursday April 9th,, is Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton.
Once a week for 10 weeks at 7:00 PM ET, The Book Lady will deliver her story with the program available across the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton, World Choice Investments, and Dollywood channels. The series multi-platform presentation is powered by Dollywood, The Dollywood Foundation, The Imagination Library, Abramorama, Brightly-Raise Kids Who Love To Read, Falco Ink, iHeartComics, Penguin Random House–Penguin Young Readers, and S.D. Professionals, LLC. The read alongs will be a personal gift from Dolly to all families. Free of charge but not free from obligation as the message will be to pass on the love and keep hope alive because we are all Together, You and I.
The documentary about her Imagination Library, The Library That Dolly Built, will be released nationwide by Abramorama the week of September 21, to commemorate the Library’s 25th anniversary. The film was directed and produced by journalism professor and director of Land Grant Films Nick Geidner, and narrated by Danica McKellar.
Dolly Parton said, “I was so happy to hear our video was viewed nearly six million times. This was a real team effort from the behind the scenes folks to all of our Imagination Library affiliates who worked long and hard to make this such an amazing success. And best of all, we have nine more episodes to bring the joy of a story into homes all across the world.”
Abramorama http://www.abramorama.com