Dolly Parton Pens New Book For Kids

Dolly Parton Has Penned A New Book For Kids

Among a rich tapestry of tunes, singer Dolly Parton is known for “Coat of Many Colors,” an autobiographical song adapted in 1996 into a children’s book.
Now, years later, it’s only fitting that this larger-than-life legend has released a follow-up book called “I Am a Rainbow.”
“This is actually just the second children’s book that I’ve done and the first one that I’ve actually written just as is,” Parton said during a recent appearance on stage at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
“But I’m going to write tons more,” Parton promised. “I’m going to really get involved with a lot of children’s things. I’d love to have a children’s show every week and work with kids and do a lot of DVDs and videos and some children’s specials and all that.”
Why write about a rainbow?
Well, why not?
Parton’s personality is quite colorful. And, here, she’s quite adept at cruising through her Crayolas, offering the “angry” emotions of red; a “bored and sad” blue; a “jealous” green and a “scared” yellow.
To be “tickled PINK,” means to feel “dandy,” Parton writes.
And to be ROSY? Well, to Parton, that color means to be “cozy.”
“This is a story of all the different moods and all the different colors that children have,” Parton said. “It was written for little kids ... from the ages of when they’re born until they’re 5 years old.”
All proceeds from “I Am a Rainbow” support Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends free books to preschoolers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Featuring illustrations by Heather Sheffield, “I Am a Rainbow” concludes with an open letter from Parton: “When I was just a young child, I wanted to see a rainbow every single day. No matter how I was feeling, seeing a rainbow always made me happy,” she writes.
The book, itself, may not be exactly as Parton originally intended.
Asked why colors such as orange and purple were not included, Parton said, “That was the publisher that did that to me ... It was a lot, lot longer. It had every color. It even had some colors not in the rainbow. So I had little things about all that. But they needed to condense it down, where they thought it would be easier to read and not so involved for the little kids.”
“I Am a Rainbow” did not take long to write, Parton said.
“But it took about a year and a half to get it actually published – and for them to, yeah, to take out all the stuff they did,” Parton said, laughing. “They’re going to kick my butt for saying that. But it’s true.”
“I Am a Rainbow” comes on the heels of several Parton projects, including a recent Broadway adaptation of Parton’s hit movie “9 to 5.”
“It’s still playing now,” Parton said. “You never know about Broadway shows, how long they’re going to last ... But I’ve kind of got the bug. I thought about writing some more things for Broadway. And I’ve thought about writing my own life story as a musical. I’m actually going to be doing a movie of my life that will hopefully be out in a couple of years.”