You Don't Have to Be a Kid to Want Dolly Parton to Read You a Bedtime Story

You may know Dolly Parton from her acting career, her Dollywood theme park, or her unparalleled talent as a country music singer-songwriter, but apparently that's not how her younger fans think of her.

In her new YouTube videos she introduces herself as "Dolly Parton, the book lady from the Imagination Library." And in some ways, being "the book lady" might be her biggest legacy. She's made promoting childhood literacy her driving cause in recent decades, starting the Imagination Library program to deliver a new book every month to children in seven different countries.

During the current crisis, Dolly is extending her work with children's literacy—and helping out parents who might be struggling to keep their kids entertained—by reading children's books each week to an audience of hundreds of thousands on YouTube. Whether these videos come in handy calming children down when they're getting stir-crazy in the afternoon, lulling them off to sleep, or engaging them with the idea of reading for themselves, they're sure to be a great resource for parents around the world. But there's a secret extra feature to these videos that doesn't tend to get a mention in headlines about Dolly Parton "reading bedtime stories to kids." What's really special about these videos is...you don't have to be a kid to watch them

"Goodnight with Dolly" | Episode 1 | Dolly Parton reads "The Little Engine That Couldwww.youtube.com

Sure, the content of The Little Engine That Could might not be as nuanced and emotionally complex as those Knausgård novels you're never going to read, but you can't deny that it's an inspiring tale with a satisfying ending. More importantly, with the amount of stress and anxiety most of us are feeling these days, Dolly infuses these videos with some much needed warmth and sincere kindness that is deeply soothing. So if you've been struggling to sleep lately, or if you just need to get out of your own head for a few minutes, check out the videos at the "Dolly Parton's Imagination Library" YouTube channel. then close your eyes, and imagine yourself being cradled against Dolly's ample...kindness.