ImaginOn Hosts 2024 Summer Exhibit: Storyland

Beloved children’s books will come alive as Storyland: A Trip Through Childhood Favorites opens at ImaginOn on May 25 and runs through Sept. 7.

Storyland, a new exhibit built by Minnesota Children’s Museum, provides imaginative, book-based experiences for children, and models early literacy experiences to parents and other adult caregivers.

Storyland transforms seven award-winning picture books – The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter; The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats; Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill; If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff; Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault; Abuela by Arthur Dorros; and Tuesday by David Wiesner into three-dimensional play and bi-lingual (English and Spanish) learning environments that highlight the six pre-reading skills: disposition to read, print awareness, letter knowledge, sound awareness, vocabulary, and narrative skills and comprehension.

Admission to the exhibit is free. The exhibit is open during ImaginOn building hours: Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday-Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. (ImaginOn is closed on Sundays from Memorial Day to Labor Day for summer hours.) For more information, call 704-416-4600 or visit imaginon.org.

Information for Groups:

Can I bring a group? Yes! Groups are welcome to visit the exhibit after noon, Monday-Saturday. There is a maximum number of 30 children and one adult chaperone for every eight students. Reservations are neither required nor accepted and entry into the exhibit is always on a first-come, first-served basis. However, if you wish to combine your visit to the exhibit with any other building-wide activity, a group visit booking is required. You can make a request at imaginon.org/calendar/group-visits.

Can a group make a reservation to visit the exhibit? No, all visits to the exhibit happen on a first-come, first-served basis. Families are encouraged to take advantage of Family Time if your schedule allows. (See below for details.)

Is there a time when the exhibit is open just for families? Yes! Family Time for the exhibit is every Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – noon. During this time, the exhibit is open just for children with their parents/caregivers (Limit 5 children per adult).

Can children visit the exhibit by themselves? Children under age 8 must be always with a caregiver. Caregivers should be at least 12 years old and mature enough to follow ImaginOn rules and guidelines. Chaperones are required for all groups visiting ImaginOn and the exhibit.

What if the exhibit is full when I arrive? Because visitor safety is our top priority, admittance into the exhibit is limited. This allows guests the ability to fully explore the exhibit at their own pace. If the exhibit is “full,” we have a queuing area where visitors can wait to enter the exhibit on a first-come, first-served basis. We have suggested activities to pass the time while you are in line.

The summer exhibit at ImaginOn is funded through the Library’s Humanities Endowment Fund, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.