Minnesota's Dolly Parton sends free books to kids throughout the state, just like the singer does

You could think of Abby Cooper as the Dolly Parton of Minnesota.

Although Parton is best known for her country hits, she has spent the last few decades working in the field of literacy. Inspired by her late father, who could not read, Parton's Imagination Library gives away millions of books every month to kids in 21 states.

Cooper's program, A Book of My Own, isn't as big, at least not yet. The St. Louis Park-based children's book writer and former librarian began the nonprofit last year, almost by accident. But she's already mailed about 6,000 free books to 500 families in more than 200 Minnesota towns and cities. Mostly, she ships to homes, but she also has sent books to children in shelters for the unhoused as well as crisis nurseries.

A Book of My Own began with Cooper's realization that she had way too many books and that there might be others who needed them. As she surveyed Facebook groups that offer goods to people in need, Cooper had an idea.

"Reading about families who could not afford basic items — dinner or diapers or whatever — I started thinking, if so many families are not able to access these everyday items, I bet they do not own books for their children," Cooper said. "I just posted a picture of some of my shelves and said, 'I'm a children's book author and I have all these freebies. Would anybody be interested?' I was expecting a handful of responses and I got over 50 in one day."

She realized there was a big need.

"There were stories of kids who are avid readers but have a single mom with five kids, who works three jobs, can't get to the library, definitely can't purchase books, or of families who had recently relocated to trailers or shelters and couldn't bring books with them," Cooper said. "I got maybe 40 more responses than I was planning for, but I thought, 'I'm going to try to send books to all of these people.'"

Aware that she was just scratching the surface, Cooper established A Book of My Own as a nonprofit and began soliciting donations of new (or gently used) books and donations to help defray postage costs of about $250 a week.

She set up a website where families can register to receive a batch of books each year and can indicate subjects their children enjoy. The biggies are princesses and dinosaurs, but Cooper sometimes purchases books for very specific needs, including a family whose mom died as a result of addiction and was hoping for a children's book to help explain that.

"If a family receives something they don't like, they don't have to read it. They're welcome to put it in a Little Free Library," Cooper said.

She's learned a lot from requests people make on the site.

"A lot say, 'We're white but we'd like to learn about other cultures.' Or, 'I'm originally from Nigeria and my children have never been there and I would love for them to see a book that has to do with that country.' Or, 'My children are biracial and it would mean so much if we received a book that has someone who looks like them.'"

Ismary Silva, who lives on St. Paul's East Side, received half a dozen books from A Book of My Own, including a couple that fulfilled her request for books in Spanish because she'd like her son, Ethan, 2, to learn his parents' first language. Because they're a single-income family while Silva is in nursing school, it has been tough to afford books but, with two parents who enjoy reading, Silva wanted to make sure Ethan had the same opportunity.

"Now, he just loves books. He wants us to read him a book every night before he goes to sleep and he'll want it read multiple times," said Silva, whose son has become a big fan of "No No Yes Yes No No Si Si," by Leslie Patricelli. "It's basically about saying 'no' to this and 'yes' to that. If we go to the bathroom and he goes on the potty, now he'll be like, 'Yes yes. Go sit on the potty.' Or if he sees a baby doing something he's not supposed to be doing, he'll say, 'No no, baby.'"

Yoko Matsuzaki's family has the opposite issue of Silva's. They moved to Minneapolis from Japan a year ago and she and her husband and two kids, Mahoro, 5, and Mitsuki, 2, are trying to become more familiar with English. They had children's books in Japanese but figured English-language books about Japanese culture could ease their transition. So, that's what she requested.

"If I get books in Japanese, I know which books are great for kids but I have no idea in English, so I need their help," said Matsuzaki, who learned about A Book of My Own from a preschool teacher.

"When we moved here, Mahoro had her time to get used to school and one of my friends let me know about a book, 'The Kissing Hand.' I got it from the library and read it to my kids and it made Mahoro more calm and relaxed. After that, she gradually got used to school. Books help kids develop in many ways, I think."

Although libraries are great, Cooper believes ownership of books is important because even the smallest children need something that's theirs alone. She says a copy of "Frindle," by Andrew Clements, changed her life when she was given it as a third-grader.

"I read it over and over, so many times that the cover is now completely falling off. It's hanging by a string. There are creases and folds and markings on ever page. People offer to replace it all the time and I always say 'no' because it's my special copy and it's the book that made me a reader and a writer," said Cooper, whose latest book is "True Colors." Kids "deserve to be the ones who make it such a special part of their life that maybe it does fall apart after they have it for 20 years."

Suzy Vang says the six books they received from A Book of My Own are helping her kids, Aubrey, 7, and Luna, 3, learn to care for their things.

"I feel like when they have a book of their own, they're more responsible. They take care of the book and they can read it as much as they want, compared to the library, where you have to go back and renew it or return it," said Vang of Cottage Grove, whose kids have read their books over and over.

That is music to the ears of Cooper, whose initial goal of clearing out her shelves has evolved. Now, she's hoping to help make Minnesota children passionate about reading. And that 20 years from now, the pages of books from A Book of My Own will show how much they've been loved.