Three to see
Concord Museum’s tree exhibit celebrates children’s literature
Haul out the boxes of ornaments and toppers and tinsel. String the lights. Wipe the pine needles off the soles of your shoes and take a break with a book. Or join in the Concord Museum’s own holiday tradition: “Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature,’’ an exhibit that spans 14 years and generations of authors and readers.
The museum is filled with trees of all shapes and sizes, each one decorated by a different volunteer and each tree adorned with ornaments inspired by a classic or contemporary children’s book. One tree is adorned with little blue schoolgirl uniforms and French flags in the spirit of “Madeline,’’ a character that has captured the hearts of petites filles since 1939. Another is topped with a safari hat and trimmed with bugs and flowers, a nod to “Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire.’’ There are 35 trees in the literary grove.
“Many people have a childhood book that they can recall every page of,’’ says Carol Haines, the museum’s director of public relations. “We hope to capture some of that joy of reading in the trees themselves.’’
The volunteers are as diverse as their trees. “The people that respond to the call for volunteers are interior designers, artists, parents who do this with their children, grandparents who do this with their grandchildren’s Brownie troop. It’s a really wide range of participants,’’ says Haines. The exhibit is a testament to the museum and to the longevity of children’s literature.
The museum also hosts “celebrity’’ guests each holiday weekend. Since the exhibit opened on Dec. 4, Olivia the piglet, star of the beloved series, and Nate the Great have each been in attendance. Your favorite amphibian friends, Frog and Toad, will be mingling with the guests this Saturday and Sunday.
Each year the museum compiles a new list of books to inspire the decorators. As Haines puts it, “Happily, there’s a never-ending supply of wonderful children’s books.’’
Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5, through Jan. 3. Admission during this benefit event is $15 for adults, $10 seniors, $6 children ages 4-18. Proceeds go toward the Concord Museum’s education programs.
FOR THE DAYS YOU’RE FEELING GHOULISH
While Halloween has come and gone, gray days are still an invitation to hunker down with a spooky read. Elyssa East’s “Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Town’’ (Free Press) is a spine-tingling look at Gloucester’s ghost town and the grisly murder committed there more than 20 years ago. East reads and discusses at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Rockport Public Library, 17 School St.BEFORE THE DUST HAD SETTLED
The story of photojournalism’s birth in a time of economic devastation is told through words and pictures in “The Dust Bowl Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Helped Remedy a National Disaster’’ (Walker & Co.). Author Martin W. Sandler signs from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Books by the Sea, 846 Main St., Osterville.
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