Pelangi Book Workshop & Factory Tour: Hidden Gem For Families!

Looking for unique (AND budget-friendly) things to do in Kuala Lumpur with kids?

I recently discovered that local publisher Pelangi Books hosts a book-making workshop and factory tour. My daughter and I attended the session and it was truly a morning well spent!

The 2-hour session was packed with creativity, hands-on fun, and a rare behind-the-scenes look at how books are made.

Here’s what you can expect at Kembara Buku Pelangi:

Introduction to Pelangi’s (impressive!) history and milestones
Book-themed circle time
Arts & crafts: Design your own book cover
Tour of the book-printing factory
Tour of the book warehouse
15% off at Pelangi’s in-house bookstore

I actually couldn’t believe how much the admission fees were!

I’ll share with you the full itinerary, and you can take a guess at how much you think the admission would be – scroll to the Pelangi Factory Tour: Visitor’s Info section to see if you guessed right 😉

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Table of Contents

What Is Kembara Buku Pelangi?

Organized by Pelangi Books, one of Malaysia’s leading local publishers, this book-making workshop and factory tour gives kids a glimpse into the magical world of book production.

The session is designed for children aged 5 to 8 years, but parents will probably find it just as fascinating 😉

What To Expect At The Pelangi Book Workshop & Tour

Welcome and Introduction

The session kicked off with a brief but interesting history of Pelangi Books (takes me back to school days when we’d hang out outside the tuition center clinging on to our trusty Pelangi exercise books >.<).

Fun fact: I also found out the company was started in Johor (Pelangi, as in Taman Pelangi!).

From a small startup, Pelangi has grown into an international publisher today, and it’s really cool to see how far they’ve come.

Book-Themed Circle Time

Next, the kids were invited to a book-themed circle time, led by the fantastic facilitator, Azmir.

He was wonderful with the little ones, using non-verbal Yes/No signs to encourage every child to participate. It was such a thoughtful, inclusive approach that really stood out to me.

Every kid was given space to engage at their own pace, and the storytelling session set a fun, creative mood for the rest of the morning.

It was so effectively done through large, printed visuals and sensory cues that even I learned a whole lot about bees and honey-making!

DIY Book Cover Craft Activity

After circle time, it was time to get crafty! Each child was given a blank piece of art block to design their own book cover.

There were no strict instructions – just loads of colorful crayons and art materials to let their imaginations run wild.

I loved seeing how different each child’s creation was. Some drew their favorite animals, others designed adventure stories. It was such a simple but brilliant idea to make kids feel like authors.

Factory Tour – Behind The Scenes Of Book-Making

Next, we got our helmets on and got ready for the highlight: the Pelangi factory tour!

We walked through the actual printing and assembly lines. We saw giant printers churning out colorful pages, and stacks of fresh-off-the-press books neatly arranged for distribution.

It’s not every day you get to see how a book comes to life from start to finish!

Warehouse Tour

The tour continued to the warehouse, and it looked like a dream – imagine towering mountains of books reaching up to the ceiling!

It was mind-boggling (and a little magical) to see that many books all in one place. Kids had fun spotting familiar books and got an insider’s look at up-and-coming titles.

Bookstore Visit (and Haul!)

The final stop was the Pelangi in-house bookstore – and trust me, it’s worth setting aside some time to go through their titles.

Their selection is huge, covering everything from preschool workbooks to high school resources, fiction, STEM books, activity books, and even coding for kids.

Prices are super affordable – all the preschool titles we bought were less than RM10 each. And that’s before the 15% tour discount!

It’s truly one of the best kids’ bookstores I’ve come across in Malaysia. I scored fantastic educational books for my daughter.

Their books are available at their online store too – browse through all their titles here.

Pelangi Factory Tour: Visitor’s Info

Location: Wisma Pelangi, Bangi
Tour duration: 2 hours (the session we attended was from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.)
Open to: Kids aged 5 – 8 years
Admission fee: RM5 per child (up to 2 guardians can join for free)
Includes: Workshop materials, factory tour, warehouse visit, bookstore visit
Discount: 15% off bookstore purchases on the day of your tour

A little tip: Sign up to be a Pelangi Books member before you go on the trip – it makes the checkout process at the counter quicker. Plus, you get an RM5 voucher too!

How To Join The Tour

Follow @pelangibooks on Instagram for upcoming tour announcements and registration links.

Slots are limited to 20 kids per session, so I recommend signing up quickly once dates are released!

Final Thoughts: Is the Pelangi Workshop Worth It?

ABSOLUTELY!

This Pelangi book-making workshop and factory tour is so thoughtfully put together.

It’s not just fun – it’s educational, creative, and offers a rare look into the world of book production. Plus, at just RM5 per child, it’s incredible value.

If you’re looking for things to do with kids around KL that are meaningful, budget-friendly, and different from the usual outings, this one ticks all the boxes.

Big kudos to Pelangi Books for opening their doors and sharing their love of books with the next generation.

If you’re joining Pelangi’s upcoming tours, tag me @mamasguidetomalaysia! I’d love to see your book adventures and book haul 😀