Tuesday | November 23, 2021 |
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The Rabbit hOle has made marked progress this year thanks to our many friends who share our mission and vision for the future. Most recently, we are particularly excited by gifts from the Haggerty Family Foundation, Candice & Mark Uhlig, the Caroline E. & Victor E. Schutte Foundation, Laura & Kevin Fitzpatrick, Jon Scieszka & Jeri Hansen, and the Edward F. Swinney Trust. Many thanks to these fine folks for their tremendous generosity and ongoing support!
You can join The Rabbit hOle community by donating, sharing our work on social media, and by connecting us with friends and colleagues who have a passion for books and could have an impact on our project.
Keep an eye out for our forthcoming annual End-of-Year mailing coming your way soon with beautiful contributions from our friends, Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka!
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May I Bring a Friend?, written by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers and illustrated by Beni Montresor, is a jewel-toned and playful story of a boy who is invited to tea with the King and Queen. He asks to bring his friend who is much...different (and taller!) than the King and Queen expected. Told in vibrant color and lyrical tempo, May I Bring a Friend? makes the reader feel as though they are dancing through this whimsical story, discovering a surprise around every turn. Schenk de Regniers and Montresor's collaboration earned the book a Caldecott Medal, and their work persists as a perennial favorite. To celebrate the work's intersection of poetry, illustration, theater, and dance, The Rabbit hOle is creating a three-dimensional diorama of the story, with each page becoming a visual and physical layer. Visitors will be able to manipulate characters from the book between each layer as if moving actors across a stage. |
First, Charlie hand-inked large-scale versions of each page of the book |
Then, Johanna hand-cut each image to create the layers of the diorama |
Now, we are assembling each layer and working on the mechanics that will move each animal across the theater set-like exhibit |
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Our friends at the City of North Kansas City have done it again! This time, the City, along with Road District #9, invested nearly $400k worth of road, sidewalk and drainage improvements around The Rabbit hOle, including a one-way determination for Knox Avenue, comprehensive road resurfacing, new curbs and easements, and improved visitor parking. We are ever thankful to North Kansas City for their partnership and support of our project. Check out a few before-and-after photos below! |
Before: a functional, albeit lackluster road |
After! The grass is always greener on the other side of new asphalt |
We welcomed three new staff members to our team this fall! Learn a bit about these newest staff members through their favorite picture book: |
Will, General Fabricator
"Stanley Stupid helped me learn to accept myself."
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Grant, General Fabricator
"I like this book because it is funny, whimsical, and combines two things I love: tacos and dragons! Plus, there's a sequel.... two taco or not two taco?!"
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Greg, Fab Shop Foreman
"What I love about Shel Silverstein and 'The Missing Piece' is how his simple writing and illustration is able to convey such a great amount of depth."
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Interested in joining The Rabbit hOle? Visit our Job Opportunities page to view our open positions. We are excited to continue growing our team into the new year!
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Book Pairing - The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein paired with...apple picking! Pairing by Joey Fleming, The Rabbit hOle's Digital Design Coordinator
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Fall is the time to harvest, and Kansas City has a bounty of local orchards and farms that offer You-Pick experiences. Apple picking is a revitalizing outdoor activity for all ages and is often just a short drive down a few gravel roads to get there. Fujis, Jonathans, and Granny Smiths not your thing? Don't worry - these farms often also offer pumpkin picking, hay rides, and sometimes even farm-animal petting zoos with donkeys, goats, and even the occasional alpaca! Having worked on several farms myself, I believe it's important for everyone to get a first-hand experience of where food comes from: it fosters a gratitude for the things given by the earth, just like the apples, shade, and wood given by The Giving Tree.
-Joey
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Do you have a favorite orchard? Share your own apple picking adventures with us on social media! |
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Curiosities
May I bring a friend a shirt?
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The vibrant colors in May I Bring a Friend? inspired us! We introduced two new t-shirt colors to our online store this month. Bring one to a friend of your own this holiday season and support The Rabbit hOle! |
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Ever since she first read May I Bring A Friend? as a child, Rabbit hOle co-founder Deb Pettid has imagined the story as an accordion book or toy theater. As you can see in the video below, our fabrication team has begun by creating eight distinct sections. Next, we'll begin working on the mechanical elements to move the animals to and fro betwixt each layer.
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RH tip: create a shoebox diorama zoo of your child's favorite animals at home using simple materials like paper, markers, glitter (if you dare), cardboard, and paint. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most beautiful. |
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Life often imitates art at The Rabbit hOle...or is it the other way around? Follow us on social media to discover The Rabbit hOle's anti-mimesis for yourself!
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Curious to see what else is up our sleeves? Head to www.rabbitholekc.org to read more about our mission, exhibits, and other stuff
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