ART

TALES OF YORE Recently extended through the fall, “Mother Goose in an Air-Ship” at the Brooklyn Historical Society features an extensive collection of 19th-century children’s books and games. Many of the selections included were created in the now-shuttered McLoughlin Bros. Factory, long housed in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Early adaptations of children’s classics, as well as instructive — and now, charmingly antiquated — morality tales, including the “Little Slovenly Peter” series are on view. The exhibit is named for a book of nursery rhymes, whose vibrantly hued cover depicts its caped protagonist in a hot-air balloon (1909), above. Many of the pieces in the show were donated to the Brooklyn Historical Society by Ellen Liman, who with her late husband, Arthur, amassed a large body of children’s literature from the 1800s. Ongoing, Wednesday–Sunday, noon–5 p.m., Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. at Clinton Street, $6 general, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 12.

HOLIDAY

DESIGNER COCKTAILS “A Holiday Celebration with Isaac Mizrahi” features the fashion designer and television personality, who shares a campy compilation of holiday stories and cheerful anecdotes. Premium seating includes cocktails and a holiday menu. Mr. Mizrahi, right, is joined by a few surprise special guests. The Brooklyn native opened his successful eponymous clothing label in 1987. By 2003, he was on to his second act, hosting a talk show on the Style network, and producing women’s sportswear, accessories, and a home collection for Target stores. Friday, 9p.m., Blender Theater at Gramercy, 127 E. 23rd St. at Lexington Avenue, 212-777-6800, $349 table seating, $24 general.

FAMILY

ALLEVIATING CABIN FEVER Two family-friendly screenings are featured as part of the New York International Film Festival. “Ugly Duckling and Me,” a contemporary reinterpretation (in animated 3-D) of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Ugly Duckling” tale, screens Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. The Danish film follows a scheming rat named Ratso that exploits a young, unattractive chicken on the carnival circuit. A screening of Juan Carlos Cremata’s “Viva Cuba!,” a live-action film about two runaways who travel the length of Cuba by train to find a missing father, follows. It screens Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, 212-864-5400, $10.

THE SWEET LIFE OF ZACK “A Kid’s Life,” a musical, follows the adventures of a 5-year-old boy, Zack, his golden retriever, Starsky, and a shy new girl in town, Zoe. The trio wanders around their neighborhood, whilelearninglessonsabout the passing of time, the ability of animals to have feelings, and the beauty of nature — from a talking clock, a spotted owl, and an orange tree. Theatergoers are invited to meet and greet all of the characters and pose for pictures with them after the show. The musical is recommended for children between the ages of 2 and 12. Saturday,10a.m. and12:30p.m.,Sunday, 12:30 p.m., Wednesday–Thursday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., through January 12, dates and times vary, The Theatre at Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Ave. at 54th Street, 212-935-2200. $20–$35. For more information, go to divalyssciousmoms.com or akidslife.net.

FILM

CHILLING INVASION The documentary “Nanking” (2007) tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China — then the country’s capital — at the outset of World War II. The film includes interviews with survivors, archival footage, photographs, and readings by actors Woody Harrelson, Stephen Dorff, and Mariel Hemingway, among others. The actors read from the writings of teachers, missionaries, businessmen, and other Westerners who helped establish a safety zone from which more than 200,000 Chinese took refuge. “‘Nanking’ itself stands against such disingenuous efforts to minimize the significance of a horrible crime that is otherwise in danger of being forgotten as the last of both victims and perpetrators die off,” James Bowman wrote in the December 12 New York Sun. Through Tuesday, 1, 2:45, 4:30, 6:15, 8, and 10 p.m., Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-727-8110, $10.50 general, $5.50 seniors weekdays before 5 p.m., $5.50 children.

ANIMATED BUDAPEST “The District” (2007), an animated satire, follows a group of teenagers from the wrong side of the tracks in Budapest. In a scheme to get rich, the adolescents travel back in time and bury a horde of wooly mammoths under the city’s streets before returning to the present to drill for oil. “The District,” which had its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, is a decidedly adult animated film, with its sexually provocative exploration of European urban culture. Through Tuesday, 9 p.m., Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St., between avenues A and B, 212-591-0434, $10 general, $6.50 members.

INTO THIN AIR An aspiring filmmaker, Danny Williams, was the lighting designer and sometime lover of artist Andy Warhol during the Factory days. “A Walk Into the Sea” (2007), directed by Williams’s niece, Esther Robinson, explores her uncle’s artistic promise and mysterious disappearance in 1966. One afternoon, during a family gathering in Massachusetts, Williams borrowed his mother’s car, saying only that he was stepping out for air. He was never seen or heard from again. A lesser-known regular at the Factory, Williams worked on more than 20 films featuring such Warhol disciples as Edie Sedgwick and the Velvet Underground. Through Friday, December 28, times vary, Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St., between Fifth Avenue and University Place, 212-924-3363, $10.50.

PHOTOGRAPHY

HAVE YOUR CAKE The title of Thomas Demand’s fourth exhibit at 303 Gallery, “Yellowcake,” is another name for the concentrated form of uranium that, when enriched, can be used in producing nuclear weapons. Mr. Demand created this series in response to President Bush’s since-disproved assertion in a 2003 State of the Union address that Iraq was in talks to obtain uranium from Africa. The photographer traveled to the Embassy of Niger in Rome — the site where evidence for a uranium trail was reportedly gathered — and studied the layouts of the offices. He committed what he saw to memory, reconstructing the images later in his studio, using lifelike paper models, and then photographed them. Through Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., 303 Gallery, 525 W. 22nd St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-255-1121, free.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.