Down the Rabbit Hole: Where children’s stories come to life

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (InvestigateTV) — Reading is crucial for young children, helping them to build their vocabulary and their imaginations. But the joy and love of reading among kids is slipping away. Federal data shows fewer children are reading for fun today compared to years past. That’s also true for adults.

But The Rabbit hOle, a Kansas City museum based on children’s literature, aims to bring that love for literature back, by bringing your favorite stories to life.

Sprawling more than 40,000 square feet, life-size exhibits at The Rabbit hOle include classic titles such as “Madeline,” “Frog and Toad” and “Curious George.” Newer titles include “My Garden” and “I Want My Hat Back.” There’s even a total recreation of the “great green room” from the book, “Goodnight Moon”, complete with a bed, fireplace, an oversized rocking chair, and a moon that actually moves in the sky.

At each of the exhibits, you can find the book that correlates with it. It’s not unusual to see a child reading “The Fire Cat” or “I am a Bunny” in a tunnel or a chair situated in the exhibit.

Since opening in 2024, the museum has drawn more than 300,000 visitors from all 50 states and other countries, including Italy, Sweden and Singapore. The museum has roughly 45 exhibits.

One exhibit features a 16-foot giant panda named Stillwater from the book “Zen Shorts” by Jon J. Muth. The displays are made in house at The Rabbit hOle factory.

Founder Peter Cowdin and his wife Deb Pettid ran a bookstore for 28 years before opening the museum. Cowdin said while he did not grow up in a “rich environment of children’s books”, he fell in love with the stories as an adult. And the idea behind The Rabbit hOle had been brewing for years.

“We wanted to do something that celebrated children’s literature in a way that had nothing to do with marketing and sales, but had everything to do with the history and culture and the books,” Cowdin said.

“Creation and generative activity is really at the soul of the Rabbit Hole,” he said.

Reading competes with screens

Abbey Mecca visits the museum regularly with her three children.

“Reading is like a non-negotiable from the start. When they first come home, that’s just part of our culture,” Mecca said. “It’s not an option to not read at our house.”

Screens, including tablets and smartphones, compete for children’s attention.

In the 1980s, more than half of 9-year-olds read for fun almost every day. The latest data from the Nation’s Report Card (needs a new hyperlink, this is not correct) shows that figure is down to 37%.

The statistics get worse as kids age. Only 14% of 13-year-olds regularly read for fun, according to the data. The number of children who never or hardly read is also growing.

Meanwhile, 65% of children ages 8 to 13 watch TV daily and average 5½ hours of screen time a day.

Idean Bindell, a mother of three, said the museum helps keep her children interested in reading.

“It’s really made my kids fall in love with the art of storytelling and not just see that there’s just books on a shelf. They see every step of the process,” she said.

Cowdin said getting children off screens was not the museum’s goal, but he said it has been a result.

“I never run into a kid wanting to be on a phone or a tablet in here ever,” Cowdin said.

Part of the reason he thinks children are so captivated by the books and displays at the museum, is because It’s not turning reading into a chore or homework.

“There’s this sort of overreaction, in my opinion, of, you know, really drilling and reading as a skill rather than a pleasure. And so our counterbalance to that is that exactly The Rabbit hOle is really emphasizing the joy of reading,” Cowdin said.

Cowdin hopes the museum inspires more people to follow its approach to reading.

Admission and exhibit permissions

Cowdin and his wife needed permission for every exhibit.

The authors or their estates had to agree to give them the rights for free to keep admission costs affordable.

Tickets are $16 per person. Admission is free for children 2 and younger.