A Dragon Takes Flight: C&C Alum, Newberry-medalist Ruth Stiles Gannett Featured at The Rabbit hOle
City and Country School alum and Newberry Award winner Ruth Stiles Gannett Kahn—author of the classic My Father’s Dragon—is the focus of a new exhibition at The Rabbit hOle, Kansas City’s immersive children’s literature museum.
The show follows both Ruth’s creative journey and the adventures of Elmer Elevator, the resourceful young hero who has been captivating readers since 1948. Notably, the exhibition highlights the role C&C played in shaping Ruth’s imagination and approach to storytelling.
Ruth spent ten years at City and Country School, and she never stopped crediting those years with influencing the way she thought and created. In a 2013 letter to the school, she wrote: “Publicly and privately I have extolled the approach to education that I was lucky to enjoy my ten years [at C&C], and claim that it was the most important and joyful part of my education.”
Exhibit curators note that C&C’s archival contributions helped expand the scope of the show. Upcoming additions include a bulletin board installation in the “barn” environment—filled with photographs from across Ruth’s life, including her C&C years—as well as an audio tour and new interpretive graphics.
The exhibit runs through August at The Rabbit hOle, known for bringing beloved children’s books to life through full-scale environments visitors can walk through, touch, and explore—an experience Ruth herself would have loved.
For more on Ruth and her work, visit myfathersdragon.org.
For more about The Rabbit hOle, visit rabbitholekc.org.
Read the The Rabbit hOle's Media Release
Exhibition Photos and Clips of Ruth's C&C Work
