Dolly Parton is coming to Kansas. She's working 9 to 5 to make sure all children can read

Every Kansas kid can get a free book, and one of American's most beloved music icons is coming to Kansas to help celebrate that fact.

Dolly Parton, the revered country legend, will visit the Imagination Library of Kansas on Aug. 14 for a closed event to help celebrate the free book service, available to all Kansas children ages 1 to 5.

"I am pleased that we have reached this amazing milestone — being able to provide the gift of reading for children and families across Kansas,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in a release. “We know that a child’s first five years are critical for health development and childhood literacy. By increasing access to the Imagination Library, we will be nurturing a love for reading and supporting the foundation of a child’s social-emotional, physical, and cognitive future. I urge all eligible Kansas families to sign their children up for the Imagination Library of Kansas.”

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has helped children read for decades

The program is part of Parton's Imagination Library, which sends free books monthly to children in the U.S. and around the world.

Started by the country legend in 1995 to benefit children in her home state of Tennessee, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has sent over 200 million books to more than 2.5 million children in nearly three decades.

"Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done," Parton has written about the program. "I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.

In the U.S., the national Imagination Library program works with local affiliates in each state to register children, promote the program and pay affordable, wholesale book costs for the children.

Kansas children have received nearly 4 million free books from Dolly Parton

In Kansas, funding from the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund and the Kansas Legislature, combined with local and regional funds, help ensure equitable opportunity to high-quality literature for children learning to read across the state.

The city of Pratt in 2005 was the first to create an Imagination Library site outside of Tennessee.

More than 52,000 children have enrolled in Kansas' Imagination Library, and those children have received more than 3.8 million books.

To check for availability in your area, visit kschildrenscabinet.org/imaginationlibrary.

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at ‪785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Dolly Parton coming to Kansas to promote Imagination Library service