Parents across Will County signed up more than 700 children for free books in the days after Dolly Parton died.

The Imagination Library of Will County, which mails a free book each month to enrolled children from birth through age 5, added 736 new registrations in the week following Parton's death on Tuesday, Aug. 25, according to Mike Theodore, a spokesman for the Will County executive's office, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. In a typical month, 100 to 130 children sign up.

The surge slowed the Dollywood Foundation's online registration system, causing delays for parents trying to enroll. The program asked new registrants for patience.

Naperville-area families are eligible. Naperville Township falls within Will County, and the program requires only proof of county residency. No income requirements apply.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, who helped launch the local program in July 2025 alongside the Will County Center for Economic Development, asked for patience with the influx. "We've been heartened by the increase in donations and enrollments for the program over the last few days and ask for patience as we manage the increase in interest," Bertino-Tarrant told NCTV17.

Bertino-Tarrant discovered the program at a conference in Nashville during her time as a state senator and brought it to Will County after Illinois partnered with the Dollywood Foundation. The county now leads the state in Imagination Library enrollments, with about 7,720 children actively receiving books and roughly 1,100 graduates who aged out at 5.

Parton launched the Imagination Library through her Dollywood Foundation in 1995, inspired by her father, who never learned to read. The program has distributed more than 332 million free books worldwide. Parton died at 80 after what her publicist called a brief battle with cancer. Her family asked fans to honor her memory by supporting the Imagination Library.

The Dollywood Foundation said in a statement on Aug. 25 that the program will continue. Kayla Sorenson, vice president of external affairs for the Will County Center for Economic Development, said the local chapter will keep growing: "You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children."

Donations are also climbing. The State of Illinois matches every dollar donated to the Will County program, according to the program's website. A $16 gift sponsors one child for a year of books. Major donors have included Jackson Generation, which gave $25,000 in May 2025 and committed another $25,000 for 2026, the Rotary Club of Joliet with a $50,000 grant, and Amazon with $30,000.

Parents can register at WillCountyImaginationLibrary.org. First books arrive in eight to 12 weeks. The program is available to more than 39,000 children countywide.