Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library announced last week that actress and author Danica McKellar will narrate the upcoming documentary, “The Library that Dolly Built.” The documentary, directed by Nick Geidner and written by Abby Bower, explores the journey of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library from a local program to an international partnership that has now gifted more than 120 million books.
“I was thrilled Danica agreed to narrate our documentary,” said Parton. “She is the perfect person to help us tell our story. She is very talented, and has such a giving heart.”
McKellar is an actress, mathematics writer and education advocate. Her successful acting career includes her role as Winnie Cooper on “The Wonder Years,” several notable voiceovers for animated movies and a number of well-received movies on the Hallmark Channel.
“I’ve admired Dolly Parton since childhood, and even more so upon learning of her Imagination Library,” said McKellar. “I can’t wait for the world to learn more about the Imagination Library through this beautiful documentary, and I couldn’t be prouder to narrate it.”
In addition to her acting work, McKellar has written eight books, all encouraging children, especially young girls, to have confidence and success in mathematics. Her book, “Goodnight, Numbers,” is currently included in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The documentary will be released either later in 2019 or early in 2020.
The Imagination Library collaborates with local organizations in 5 countries to inspire pre-school children to love books and to love reading. Currently, the program provides a free, age appropriate, new book to 1.4 million children each month. Since the program’s inception, over 120 million books have been gifted to children.
“The Library That Dolly Built” is a feature-length documentary, covering the history, impact and future of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The documentary features the music of Dolly Parton and includes original interviews with recipients of the books, parents, policy makers, authors, program organizers and Parton.
“The Library That Dolly Built” is being produced by Land Grant Films, a documentary production program housed in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee. Land Grant
Films’ mission is to provide University of Tennessee students with real-world experience in documentary storytelling while providing local non-profit organizations with video assets that can be used to raise awareness and funds. Land Grant Films’ documentaries have been aired on Knoxville’s NBC and PBS affiliates, screened in film festivals and won numerous awards. All of Land Grant Films’ productions are created by University of Tennessee students or involve students in key crew positions. “The Library That Dolly Built” is directed by journalism professor Nick Geidner,
