In the wake of legendary country star Dolly Parton’s death this past week, part of her legacy will be making its way up to Maine children’s hands.

Parton’s “Imagination Library”, a program that mails free books to kids ranging in age from birth to age 5, will be expanding their services to the Skowhegan Public Library and Somerset County.

“It was eye-opening to me to see that some kids come to kindergarten, and they don’t know how a book even mechanically works, like how to turn the pages or how the story flows” Angie Herrick, director of the Skowhegan Public Library told CBS 13. “We just all feel deeply connected with her philosophy, with her passion to put books in the hands of all kids. And we’re not just choosing a certain group of kids… it’s not just for the affluent or just for the marginalized, it’s everybody. And to be able to continue her work, especially now, is just it’s all the more meaningful,”

The expansion is reportedly thanks to an anonymous donation.

The program, which was founded in 1995, was sparked by Parton’s upbringing in rural Tennessee by an illiterate father. To date, the program has gifted more than 330 million books to children around the world, with 10,000 children in Maine already enrolled.

Parton’s death from what’s been described as a “brief battle with cancer” at the age of 80 was announced this past Tuesday.

Organizers said they hope to have the Somerset County program running by the end of the year.

To read the original CBS 13 article, click here.