The legendary Dolly Parton talks Nashville, the power of reading and her new children’s book.

Dolly Parton performs live at The Paramount Theatre in 1977 in Oakland, California.

What inspired your new book, Billy the Kid Comes Home For Christmas?

Billy The Kid, my manager Danny’s dog, is my god dog, and I’ve just adopted him as my own. When we launched our Doggy Parton pet accessories, Billy was our fashion model, and when I was asked about doing new children’s books, I thought he could make a fun character for kids to connect with. We’ve based each story [in the series] on one of my songs. This book is based on “Comin’ Home For Christmas.”

Between your Imagination Library, which sends new books to kids every month, and your children’s books, it’s obvious reading is important to you. Why is that?

My daddy never got the chance to learn to read or write, but he was one of the smartest people I ever knew. I often wonder what he could have done with his life if he had a chance to get an education. He did get to see the Imagination Library launch before he passed away, and he was prouder of me for that than almost anything I had done. He saw kids come up to me and call me the Book Lady, and he got such a kick out of that. Not all kids can be born into opportunity, but if you can read and learn in your younger years, you can go anywhere you want to in life. That belief has guided the program since we launched almost 30 years ago. And so far, we have given away more than 250 million books to kids around the world. It makes me so proud to know that it was all inspired by my dad.

What makes Nashville special to you?

This year marks 60 years since I graduated high school and left home to pursue my dreams and become a star. Now, all these years later, Nashville has become known all over the world. I love the spirit that Nashville has. You can be downtown with all the shopping and great restaurants, and then in fifteen minutes, you can be in the country. This town’s been good to me!