When we pick up a book, we get to go somewhere else entirely - into new colors and scenes and feelings. It’s the greatest escape. This September, the books that made me an author took me to places that moved my heart and filled my bucket up all the way to the top.
The transportive tunnel was the long stretch of highway between Chicago’s western suburbs and Kansas delivering me to The Rabbit hOle museum in Kansas City. If you’ve glimpsed its immersive children’s book sets and scenes, then you know, it’s a magical world to behold. If you haven’t, and don’t mind a few spoilers (that hardly do it justice), when you descend into its depths …
… you can walk right into the kitchen of BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL by Robert McCloskey …
… and wade into the swamp with FROG AND TOAD by Arnold Lobel …
… and cozy up for a bowl full of mush in GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown …
… and so much more. Approaching the doorstep of my very favorite children’s books was a bit like waiting in line for Santa. From far away, you can catch a bit of his beard and the edge of his suit, and you know you are about to have an encounter at the very center of your heart. It’s the kind of hesitancy and excitement that puts a lump in your throat and fills your stomach with fireflies.
Are you ready? This is it!
And then suddenly, you are there — in the courtyard of STREGA NONA by Tomie dePaola, sitting on the fountain’s edge, under the pretty pink terra cotta tiles. The scale of the exhibits and the perfection of the color palettes put you right in the middle of core memories. Thank you, Rabbit hOle KC, for creating pure magic in the heart of the Heartland.
The next stop was Emporia, Kansas, where the rabbit hole turned to a yellow brick road. When my daughters and I went shopping for an outfit for the trip, they told me the green dress was the one. I didn’t realize how very Oz it would be!
The day began with a visit to Walnut Elementary, where I shared DANCING WITH DADDY and WILLOW AND BUNNY and connected with grades K to 5. We did a bit of dancing, too, and talked about how we all are helpers in our families and communities. It’s become so important to me that each student knows exactly how needed they are in their home and school.
Then it was off to Middle Ground Books in downtown Emporia, a new bookstore that feels as if it’s been a haven for dreamers and thinkers for centuries. Owners Debra, Lance, and Megan have built an incredible heart for their community, and made me feel at home all afternoon. In a cozy story time, we read WILLOW AND BUNNY and chatted about the journey of stories with in-store guests and those watching via Facebook live.
I picked up some vintage books in their used books section upstairs. Such a novel idea, giving shoppers book credits, for the purchase of new books, when they contribute pre-owned titles to the used book stock. I left with my very own copy of KATY NO-POCKET by Emmy Payne, illustrated by H. A. Rey.
Topeka was next, for a celebration of literature at the 2025 Kansas Book Festival. In the early 2000s, I worked for The Kansas City Star newspaper, linking me forever to this lovely state and opening the door for return visits as an author with writing roots in Kansas.
I had a story time in the children’s tent, which was super special. So many little ones came up close with concern for Bunny, as the storm approached. Don’t we all want to make sure our friends, especially the very smallest and furriest, are safe?
I attended lots of incredible panels, including an interview with Bill Curtis, a Chicago broadcast legend who has deep ties in Topeka, and a conversation about disability visibility featuring authors Gretchen Schreiber (ELLIE HAYCOCK IS TOTALLY NORMAL) and Louise Krug (HOW TO EXPLAIN). Thank you for signing my book, Gretchen — it was wonderful meeting you!
The day wrapped up with my shared panel on grief in children’s books with author Scott Emmons and illustrator Stacey Lamb (HOPE AND THE WINDS OF GRIEF), moderated by the fabulous Anuja Madan, children’s literature professor at Kansas State University. It was lovely exploring the connective tissue of our stories — finding hope within and after unpredictable, uncontrollable forces of nature. It was an honor, Scott, Stacey, and Anuja!
Then I had the JOY of connecting with my agent, Stephanie Hansen, for dinner and write-life friends for coffee. Book talk is the best talk.
I’ve emerged from the rabbit hole, delightfully exhausted and refreshed, to wrap my arms ‘round the people who inspire every word I write, every world I build, and every beat of my heart. Pressing publish on this blog so I can revisit it anytime I want to reencounter the magic of these Kansas adventures.
