Jan. 5, 2026 – Legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton's 80th birthday is Jan. 19, and the Cedar Rapids Library Foundation is celebrating with a family-friendly birthday party at the Downtown Library. After all, Dolly is the founder of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which provides free books to kids under age 5 around the world. In Cedar Rapids, the program is funded by the Library Foundation, with the help of community donors.
The party will be held Saturday, Jan. 17, from 10 am to noon in Beems and Whipple auditoriums. Drop in for a “Happy Birthday” sing-along at 10:15 am, story times at 10:30 am and 11:30 am, and a dance party at 11 am. The Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library will hold a children’s book sale for $1 each, and community partners will provide activities and resources. A special thanks to Presenting Sponsor Van Meter.
The day before, on Friday, Jan. 16, stop into the Downtown Library from 11 am to noon for Community Crafting for Dolly. Help create a community display for the birthday party by making a craft in the Commons. All ages welcome!
To prepare for these programs, and in honor of someone who has contributed so greatly to children's literacy, we've collected this list of books for and about Dolly Parton. From her story told in her own words to insightful biographies written by others, these books offer a look behind-the-scenes of her storied career. We also have children's books written by Dolly, a novel she wrote in partnership with thriller author James Patterson, and even a cookbook.
To learn more about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and register a little one in your life, visit CRLibrary.org/imagination-library.
Browse the book list below, and put titles on hold in our catalog by clicking on the covers.
Dolly's Perspective
"Star of the Show: My Life on Stage" by Dolly Parton (2025)
A stunning celebration of Dolly Parton's iconic career as a performer, featuring entertaining personal stories alongside 350 full-color photographs, including exclusive images and ephemera from her archive, and an 8-page gatefold listing her performances.
"Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones" by Dolly Parton (2023)
Showcasing the music legend's most unforgettable looks from the 1960s until now, this stunningly photographed book displays Dolly Parton's iconic sense of style along with entertaining personal anecdotes that, for the first time, reveal the full story behind her lifelong passion for fashion.
"Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics" by Dolly Parton (2020)
Dolly Parton brings you behind the lyrics of 175 of her songs to reveal the personal stories and vibrant memories that have inspired sixty years of songwriting. Lushly illustrated and told in Dolly's inimitable voice, this rich collection offers an intimate, exclusive look at the colorful life, prolific career, and rags-to-rhinestones journey of one of the most revered entertainers of our time.
"Dream More: Celebrate the Dreamer in You" by Dolly Parton (2012)
Expanding on the hugely popular commencement speech that Dolly Parton gave at the University of Tennessee, "Dream More" is a deeper and richer exploration of the personal philosophy she has forged over the course of her astonishing career as a singer, songwriter, performer, and philanthropist. Dolly elaborates on the four great hopes she wants us all to embrace: Dream more, Learn more, Care more, and Be more. She offers examples of them, from her childhood in the hills of eastern Tennessee to her life as the iconic performer she is today.
Others Writing about Dolly
"Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton" by Martha Ackmann (2025)
A deep dive into the social, historical, and personal forces that made Dolly Parton one of the most beloved and unifying figures in public life and includes interviews with friends, family members, school mates, Nashville neighbors, members of her band, studio musicians, producers, and many others. It also features never before seen photographs and unearthed documents shedding light on her family's hardscrabble life. More than anything, Martha Ackmann's fresh and animated new book proves Dolly Parton knows just who she is and she ain't nobody's fool.
"She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs" by Sarah Smarsh (2020)
Growing up amid Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories, Smarsh witnessed firsthand the vulnerabilities and strengths of women in working poverty. Meanwhile, country songs by female artists played in the background, telling powerful stories about life, men, hard times, and surviving. Country music was a language among women – and no one provided that language better than Dolly Parton. Here Smarsh explores the overlooked contributions to social progress by such women as exemplified by Dolly Parton's life and art. She shows how Parton's song offer a springboard to examining the intersections of gender, class, and culture.
"Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters" with Dolly Parton, edited by Randy L. Schmidt (2017)
This collection of interviews spans five decades of Dolly Parton's career and features material gathered from celebrated publications including Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, and Interview magazine. The book traces Dolly's evolution from her dirt-poor Smoky Mountain childhood to her reign as the undisputed 'Queen of Country Music.'"
"Smart Blonde: Dolly Parton" by Stephen Miller (2015)
A self-made woman in every sense, Dolly arrived on the Nashville scene as a solo performer bedecked with lurid outfits and exaggerated accessories designed to get her noticed. Later she would bring the same approach to rebuilding her face and figure, but behind the showbiz excesses were always the exquisite voice and an exceptional songwriting talent. Talking to Dolly's family members, musicians and producers, Miller gets to the core of a remarkable woman from a poor East Tennessee background who made it in the male-dominated world of 1960s Nashville and went on to build a respectable movie career as well.
Children's Books, a Novel, and a Cookbook
"Coat of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton (2016)
Country music legend Dolly Parton's rural upbringing in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee provides the backdrop for this special picture book. Using lyrics from her classic song "Coat of Many Colors," the book tells the story of a young girl in need of a warm winter coat. When her mother sews her a coat made of rags, the girl is mocked by classmates for being poor. But Parton's trademark positivity carries through to the end as the girl realizes that her coat was made with love "in every stitch." Beautiful illustrations pair with Parton's poetic lyrics in this heartfelt picture book sure to speak to all young readers.
"Dolly Parton's Billy the Kid Makes It Big" by Dolly Parton (2023)
French bulldog Billy the Kid was born with an ear for music. And not just any music. He loves barking to the beat of country music! So Billy sets out to Nashville to sing his heart out. But when he meets some big bullies at the Battle of the Bow-wows, Billy worries he's barking up the wrong tree. He'll need his favorite songs ("Jowlene" and "I Will Pawlways Love You," of course), a group of scrappy new friends, and his favorite country music star to regain self-confidence and be the star he always knew he could be.
"Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year of Meals" by Dolly Parton & Rachel Parton George (2024)
Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel share their prized dishes and family stories in recipes sorted by months of the year, including Barbecue Spare Ribs, Slaw of Many Colors, Watermelon Fruit Salad, Mac and Cheese and Strawberry Shortcake.
"Run, Rose, Run" by Dolly Parton & James Patterson (2022)
Every song tells a story. She's a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her. She's also on the run. Find a future, lose a past. Nashville is where she's come to claim her destiny. It's also where the darkness she's fled might find her. And destroy her.