"Here is another engine coming, a little blue engine. A very little one. Maybe she will help us," state Rep. Amanda Mays Bledsoe read aloud from the children's classic.
A small group of kids at Golisano listened intently, marking the start of a new chapter at the hospital. Every baby born at UK Golisano Children's can now be enrolled in the program, which gifts books free of charge to children from birth to age five.
"It seems something small, but it's the ritual of a storytime," Dr. Scottie Day, Physician in Residence, said. "And every child deserves that chance."
The hospital will be handing out "The Little Engine that Could" as its first selection thanks to the Imagination Library initiative, which is funded in part through the Kentucky legislature and local community partners.
"As Dolly once said, we cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails. Because when we put books in the hands of children... we're investing in everything that comes next," Day added.
Dolly Parton made a personal appearance in Lexington back in 2024 to celebrate the expansion of the program into the entire state. It has since faced funding complications, both at the local and state level.
More than half of eligible Kentucky kids are already enrolled, including nearly 40% of Fayette County's youngsters.
"I thought I could. I thought I could," Bledsoe ended. "And she did."