Dolly Parton spent her life giving back to children and their communities. Since her death, her fans have been carrying on that legacy.

• It's the Dolly effect: In cities across America, people are donating their time and money, expanding Dolly's Imagination Library — her book-gifting program for kids — and starting projects of their own.

📚 The big picture: Dolly started the Imagination Library in 1995 to honor her father, who couldn't read or write. The program sends over 3 million free books to children across five countries each month — and organizations and individuals are building on that legacy to reach even more.

• In Florida, Virginia, Ohio and elsewhere, Imagination Library affiliates have seen a surge in both donations and registrations since the star's passing on Aug. 25.
• In Houston, public libraries are working with the Imagination Library of Greater Houston to help more families sign up their children.
• In West Virginia, literacy nonprofit Read Aloud West Virginia is matching this month's donations to local Imagination Library affiliates when donors write "in memory of Dolly" with their contributions.
• In London, Dolly's Imagination Library is doubling the number of boroughs it covers.

🎸 What's next: This Friday — 9/25, a nod to Dolly's "9 to 5" movie — will be the first annual Give Like Dolly Day, created by The Dollywood Foundation to encourage people around the world to support children's literacy.

• One Nashville honky-tonk is giving 100% of Friday's sales to the Imagination Library and Nashville Public Libraries.

It's officially fall, but we have one more stunning summer snap from reader Edward Fine — taken in Barnegat Light in Long Beach Island, N.J.