For people like Ayla Chisholm, Dolly Parton wasn’t just country music royalty; she was someone who gave her son his “Coat of Many Colors.”
Her son, Xander Linton, became obsessed with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Both he and Paxton Linton received books until they were in kindergarten.
“It’s a really big deal on Grand Manan,” she said. “When you go to the baby doctor, do your weight and stuff, they’ll tell you about it. I think we might have even got a book in the hospital.”
“Reading is a huge deal for me,” she said, speaking with The Courier. “I love reading. I’m a part of a silent reading group here. I’ve actually read like 160 books this year.”
She said reading is a big part of their family. The Imagination Library made getting the books a special tradition.
“It was really exciting to go check it out,” she said. “Obviously they were excited to get a piece of mail. The books are quality. A lot of them were books that I’ve seen online. Even Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” book that we got, it’s been a favourite.”
According to the Grand Manan Library, 8,500 books have been distributed to kids on the island in partnership with the local Rotary.
Fundy Shores has also participated in the program.
Coun. Rachel Clark, who was a resident at the time, brought the Imagination Library to the community. The local council supported that initiative. Approximately 95 children in that community receive support through the Imagination Library.
Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80.
It was news Chisholm had to deliver to her two young kids who idolized the country music legend. Both her children have autism.
“[Paxton] didn’t really know how to react,” she said. “It all kind of came, she had a little cry and ran to tell her little brother. I’m not really sure how much my son understands, so we’ve just been trying to appreciate all the music.”
Chisholm believes this is a pivotal moment in their childhood. She said she hopes Parton understood how many lives she’d impacted.
“I think she knew how loved and respected she was,” she said.
For now, her son will listen to ‘The Light of a Clear Blue Morning’, among many others, to remember her.
“Anybody who knows him knows that’s the boy who loves Dolly Parton,” she said.
