The Rabbit Hole

Sometimes called the Eloise of Greenwich Village, Suzuki Beane is the story of a little girl who is being raised by beatnik parents and finds love and friendship with a rich kid named Henry. Since neither of their parents care for their new friend, the two reject the adults’ prejudice and "run away from home and start a village where a Square can be a square and a swinging cat can swing in peace. Creators Sandra Scoppettone and Louise Fitzhugh (best known for Harriet The Spy) are thought to be the first author-illustrator collaboration of a lesbian couple. #PRIDEMonth #LGBTQauthors #LGBTQillustrators

We’d like to wish you a happy #BookfaceFriday and weekend! : Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson (Penguin Kids) #Bookface

American poet, translator, etymologist and children’s book author John Ciardi was born on June 24, 1916. He translated Dante’s Divine Comedy, wrote several volumes of children’s poetry and was the poetry editor for the Saturday Review. He also briefly taught at the University of Kansas City (now UMKC) before joining the United States Army Air Forces in 1942. : I Met a Man by John Ciardi & illustrated by Robert Osborn (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Our architectural exhibit for My Father’s Dragon is coming along swimmingly. Scribe D.Ross recently poured resin down the side of our grand staircase for the crocodiles’ river. : My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett and illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett (Random House Children's Books) #WIP #WIPWednesday

hOle Dispatch #61: This week we have all been mesmerized by the crew sorting and moving old railroad ties outside The Rabbit hOle, but no one more than Mary Anne. I could tell by the look in her eye that our beautiful red steam shovel friend wanted to feel useful too, so Mary Anne and I are organizing scrap wood in the shop. -Travis

Happy Tolkien Day! Did you know he wrote and illustrated a children's book?

Don’t blame the baby! Happy New Year and #BookfaceFriday! :That Terrible Baby by Jennifer Armstrong and Susan Meddaugh (HarperKids Books)

Reflecting on this past year, we are grateful for our growing legion of supporters, whose determined generosity has enabled us to grow our team and ramp up exhibit production in 2020, against all odds. Thank you to everyone who has shown support in big and small ways. We wish you a Happy New Year!

Our friend Milo sent us this video telling us why he's excited about The Rabbit hOle. Tell us what you're most excited about and help bring books to life with a year-end donation: https://www.rabbitholekc.org/end-of-year-giving

hOle Dispatch #36: Happy almost 2021 everybody! We’ve been reflecting on this year and all our hOle Dispatches so far. We can’t wait to share more adventures with you in the new year! - Travis

hOle Dispatch #29: On a rainy day like today, you can follow where everyone has been by their wet shoe prints. This afternoon my friends and I spotted some tracks in the fabrication studio that didn't seem to match any of our Rabbit hOle team members. The little paw prints went into the museum space and towards the elevator. They continued in the basement, and led to a strange hole that we'd never noticed before. Everyone clambered up the wall and peered into the opening. It must be someone's nest or den, and it looks like they've been spending a lot of time here. But who could it be? -Travis

Happy #bookfacefriday! We wish you a roaring good weekend! : The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Books)

hOle Dispatch #28: To welcome fall, my friends and I decided to read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert. Inspired by the bold and beautiful colors we set out to find our own red and yellow leaves. After a very long walk we found a tall maple in a clearing. Everyone got to work making a glorious pile. And then of course, we all jumped in. - Travis

We love these costumes and the shoutout for The Rabbit hOle!

We'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our Good Things Come Campaign! Your investment in our vision has had an immediate impact, allowing us to add two more artist/fabricators to our payroll in November, with two more hires slated for December. We set an ambitious goal for ourselves to raise $300,000 by October 31. We had no idea what to expect. Asking anyone for anything - particularly money - in the middle of a pandemic is a delicate and mysterious pro...position. With a matching gift we've raised $140,000. While the size of our goal remains true, we’ve decided to extend the Good Things Come Campaign through the holidays. Thank you again for your support, and please continue to help us raise funds to staff our fabrication shop: https://www.rabbitholekc.org/good-things

Dear Farmer Brown, Happy #BookFaceFriday and Halloween! Sincerely,... The Cows : Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type written by Doreen Cronin, Author and illustrated by Betsy Lewin. SimonKIDS

Thanks Publishers Weekly for this fabulous update about how COVID-19 has impacted us and our Good Things Come Campaign to hire artists!

One question we get a lot: Where will you find the talent needed to build The Rabbit hOle's immersive exhibits and experiences?" The answer: Kansas City. Several of our current artist/fabricators attended the Kansas City Art Institute. We recently created this video for the Warwick Society, an organization that supports scholarships for KCAI students.... You can help us fully staff our creative team and Fabrication Studio by donating to our Good Things Come Campaign: https://www.rabbitholekc.org/good-things

When asked why they are supporting the Rabbit hOle, Laura Hammond said children's literature has always been important to their family. Everyone in our family has happy memories of bedtime stories and favorite books from childhood, so the idea of a place to celebrate children’s literature was easy for us to get behind. We were thrilled by the concept of The Rabbit hOle, a first-of-its-kind space where childhood books will be brought to life on a grand scale by a team of Kansas City’s most creative artists. We are now offering $20,000 in matching funds to encourage others to get in on the ground floor of building what is sure to be a Kansas City icon--please join us! There's just a few days left to earn the Miller Hammond Charitable Fund's generous their $20,000 match gift! Donate: https://www.rabbitholekc.org/good-things

hOle Dispatch #27: Carving pumpkins is one of my favorite Halloween traditions. Lion and Bill volunteered to help me create this year’s Jack-o'-lantern, but just as they were about to start... the pumpkin turned around with a frightened look. That innocent face quickly became a fearsome and toothy grin. It startled Lion and Bill and they dropped their knives in fear. I had to laugh, but when the pumpkin grabbed the knives, I ran faster than The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything! Happy Halloween -Travis

Hooray! We've reached $100k of our $300k goal! Donate, share and learn more about our Good Things Come Campaign to fully staff our fabrication shop and stay on track to open in 2021: https://www.rabbitholekc.org/good-things

When asked why she's fundraising for The Rabbit hOle's Good Things Come Campaign, Grace Suh told us a bit about her childhood self. Learn more about our goal to raise $300k to fully staff our fabrication studio, where we're building exhibits and experiences that will bring children's books to life: https://www.rabbitholekc.org/good-things

Happy #BookfaceFriday! We wish you a bewitchin’ weekend. : The Witch Next Door by Norman Bridwell Scholastic

Scholastic turned 100 yesterday! Happy Birthday from all of us at The Rabbit hOle!