For children, fairy tales are fun
stories with talking animals, giants and elves. For adults, they can be links
to their own childhoods while being recognized as the basis of modern books and
movies.
The history, meaning and significance of fairy tales is the subject
of the colorful children’s exhibit Once
Upon a Time … Exploring the World of Fairy Tales on display from Friday, Sept. 20, to Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020 at the Belt
Branch Upper Story.
The exhibit will be open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. School and group visits can
be arranged by calling 816-205-7101.
Visitors will step into seven stories
from around the globe, including Anansi and the Talking Melon, Beauty and the
Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Thumbelina, the Shoemaker and the
Elves, and Lon Po Po. The large-scale settings feature art from children’s
books and have interactive components, including computers, costumes to wear, a
dinner table with play food and a cobbler’s shop to make shoes.
The traveling exhibit was produced by
The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum and the St. Louis Public Library
and is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services. The Friends of the Rolling Hills Library provided the funding to
bring the exhibit to St. Joseph.
It’s the third large-scale children’s
exhibit the library has sponsored in three years in a continued effort to
provide a big-city experience for families to enjoy for free.
“We know of parents and caregivers who bring
their kids to these exhibits multiple times because they find something
different every time,” Library Director Michelle Mears said. “With these
exhibits, you can come as many times as you want in the 14 weeks they’re here
because it’s free. It’s not like going to Kansas City and seeing something only
once because it costs too much to do.”
