Dolly Parton celebrates Books from Birth in Nashville
He had a tough act to follow, but a 6-year-old boy stole the show from Dolly Parton and two governors during a literacy awareness event Tuesday at the Tennessee State Capitol.
Dawson Dykes, with his red hair combed over impeccably, received the microphone from Parton, reassured her that he didn't need any help, and recited a sing-song poem about how much he loves reading.
"The more you read the more you know, the more you know the more you grow," Dawson said in front of about 100 people gathered in the glittering old Supreme Court chambers. "A book is a place you can open again and again, so let the love of reading begin."
Dykes also helped Parton blow out a candle atop a cake to mark the tenth birthday for the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation, which sends a free book to more than 224,000 children each month.
In 10 years, the program has distributed more than 21 million books to kids from birth to age 5. State funds, local funds, donations and Parton's Imagination Library make it all possible.
The capitol celebration capped a 54-stop book bus tour. Dawson's smiling face also appeared on the side of that bus. In his hometown of Columbia, the rolling attraction had become known as "Dawson's Bus," said his parents, Darren and Annette. Their 2-year-old daughter, Delaney, also receives books.
"We've got quite a collection," Darren Dykes said.
Parton, who spoke after Gov. Bill Haslam, first lady Crissy Haslam and former governor Phil Bredesen, said the program transcends political lines. That sits well for Parton, who launched her library in honor of her father. He never learned to read or write, she said.
"It's very personal to me. Very emotional," Parton said. "I'm just happy I can help get books into the hands of children. You can't get enough of that."
The program has been growing by about 1,300 books per month. Still, the first lady said the record-setting enrollment rate of 56 percent of eligible children isn't good enough.
"That means we have a lot more children we have to reach," she said.
Meanwhile, there's still about 1 percent of books not making it to homes. Books marked "return to sender" and sent back to local post offices are usually destroyed. Haslam and congressional representatives have been trying to work with the U.S. Postal Service to allow volunteers to retrieve them.
"They say it's too much trouble to collect them and hold them for us," Bill Haslam said. "We would rather just come pick them up instead of letting them be destroyed.
"The vast majority, 98 percent of our books, get delivered to children just like we want them to."
Reach Tony Gonzalez at 615-259-8089 and on Twitter @tgonzalez.
Enroll in Books from Birth
Call 615-253-3600 or toll free at 1-877-992-6657, or visit www.governorsfoundation.org for information about enrolling children in the free books program, to get involved and to donate. A gift of $12 provides books for a child for a year.