The Rabbit hOle
Today, April 2, is International Children’s Book Day…which I would not have known if I didn’t follow Katie Couric on Instagram. So thank you, Katie. (Btw, she shared that one of her favorite books written for children is Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. If you saw my post from the other day, you may recall that the assumed genesis of this title caused a wee rift between me and my childhood BFF. I am happy to report, though, that 40 years later, all is well and she and I met up for an enjoyable dinner in Seattle a few months ago. I guess it’s true that time heals all wounds, even those caused by a jump-roping know-it-all, i.e. me.)
Anyhoo, I might not have known about this “holiday” if it weren’t for Katie, but I did happen to spy this NYT article yesterday, and it’s a great thing to post today. The Rabbit hOle (please don’t be a jump-roping know-it-all…this is how the typography appears on their website) is an immersive museum in Kansas City that “celebrates and brings to life a century of American children’s literature.” Visitors to this former tin-can factory can play in a kitchen inspired by Blueberries for Sal, get swallowed by the boa constrictor featured in an awesome poem from that aforementioned Shel Silverstein collection, and check out Frances’ house from those Russell Hoban classics. It looks lovely and extremely well-done, i.e. nothing like the made-to-be-a-meme Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience that blew up all our social media feeds about a month ago 🤡. The goal is, of course, to continue encouraging kids to pick up an actual book; this isn’t anything like making a book into a movie or even supplanting the joy of actually reading. There are plenty of opportunities for museum visitors to peruse books; The Rabbit hOle is a 10-years-in-the-making dream of former bookstore owners. Think of it more of as the ultimate tribute to children’s lit.
A lot of us have warm feelings toward the books we enjoyed as children and/or books that we’ve shared with the children in our lives. We’re not outliers: See below to see the best comment in response to the digital version of this article. ❤️📚
{Who’s coming to KC with me?}
originally published on instagram