The Rabbit Hole, a children's literature museum in Kansas City, sounds like a wonderful place. Children can explore "scenes from beloved books, such as the bedroom in Goodnight, Moon or the kitchen in Blueberries for Sal, writes Elisabeth Egan in the New York Times.
Former bookstore owners Pete Cowdin and Deb Pettid spent years raising the money to turn their vision into reality, she writes. The Rabbit Hole opened in March.
"On a crisp Saturday morning that screamed for adventure, a former tin can factory . . . thrummed with the sound of young people climbing, sliding, spinning, jumping, exploring and reading." `
On the main floor, children can explore 40 book-themed dioramas, writes Egan. "The one inspired by John Steptoe’s Uptown features a pressed tin ceiling, a faux stained-glass window and a jukebox."
"Visitors slid down the pole in The Fire Cat, slithered into the gullet of the boa constrictor in Where the Sidewalk Ends and lounged in a faux bubble bath in Harry the Dirty Dog," Egan writes.
In addition to well-known books, such as Madeline, Strega Nona and Babar, there are newer, diverse titles such as Crow Boy, Sam and the Tigers, Gladiola Garden and The Zabajaba Jungle.
Of course, the museum includes a book store, writes Egan. A cafeteria and George and Martha-themed party and craft room will open soon, and there are plans for "exhibit space, a print shop, a story lab, a resource library and discovery galleries" on the upper floors of the former factory.