What Dolly Parton Knew About Reading

This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. My best friend’s baby got mail from Dolly Parton on the day the singer died. This wasn’t unexpected: He’s been receiving books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for all 10 months of his life. (This month’s selection was Bedtime, Here I Come, by D. J. Steinberg.) And he wasn’t alone—the Imagination Library sends free books to children every month from birth to age 5; the program…