READINGS

IN PRAISE OF BOOKS The 92nd Street Y hosts a conversation with first lady Laura Bush and her daughter, Jenna. Mother and daughter discuss the importance of literacy and reading, and present their collaboration, “Read All About It!” (HarperCollins), a children’s book about little Tyrone, who falls for the charms of a good book. A senior writer at Vogue magazine, Julia Reed, leads the talk. Tonight, 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $26.

FAMILY

A GREEN PARTY Youngsters of all ages celebrating Earth Week at Prospect Park’s Audubon Center choose from a program of tours, recyclable craft activities, workshops, and film screenings. Today, in commemoration of Earth Day, young parkgoers take a pledge to be kind to the environment using tips on how to save water, conserve energy, and protect natural resources. During a craft session, materials for making personalized “green” advocacy buttons are supplied. Today, 1–4 p.m., Prospect Park, Audubon Center at the Boathouse, enter at Lincoln Road or Flatbush Avenue near Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, 718-287-3400, free.

AN OLYMPIC ODYSSEY The Children’s Museum of Manhattan hosts a festival that takes youngsters on a virtual journey to ancient Greece, as part of the ongoing exhibit “Gods, Myths and Mortals.” Budding archaeologists ages 5 and older build a Greek temple using cardboard and other materials. In another workshop, children of all ages make victory wreaths using metallic pipe cleaners, beads, and foil, and crown winners just as the ancient Greeks did with olive branches during the original Olympic games. Tuesday–Sunday, times vary, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 W. 83rd St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-721-1234, free with museum admission, $9 children and adults, $6 seniors, free for members and children under 1. For complete information, go to cmom.org.

CELEBRATING GRANDPARENTS The Department of Education and the Museum of Modern Art host Grandparents Day at the museum. Grandparents and their grandchildren are treated to a day of art activities, including interactive gallery tours, hands-on workshops, live entertainment, and MoMA audio tours. The program is recommended for children between age 5 and 12. Today, noon–4 p.m., MoMA, 11 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-333-1178, free for children and adults with advance registration by phone or e-mail, communityprograms@moma.org.

MUSIC

PARADISE OF SOUND The Hudson Valley Singers perform Robert Schumann’s oratorio “Das Paradies und die Peri,” under the direction of the assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, Eugene Sirotkine. The oratorio is considered one of Schumann’s most inspiring masterworks. Based on Thomas Moore’s poem “Lalla Rookh,” it recounts the tale of a Persian spirit, the Peri, who is expelled from Paradise and tries to regain admittance. The New York Metamorphoses Orchestra accompanies. Saturday, 7 p.m., the New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St. at Central Park West, 914-674-2865, $35–$40 general, $5 students and seniors.

READINGS

RUSSIAN COCKTAIL As part of the Russia! magazine series held at Brooklyn’s Freebird bookstore, writer and artist Anya Ulinich reads from her debut novel “Petropolis” (Penguin). The book traces fictional Sasha Goldberg’s screwball coming-of-age and her search for a father who has long since disappeared. Believing her father is living in America, Sasha signs herself up to be wed as a mail-order bride, and soon lands in Phoenix. Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Freebird Bookstore, 123 Columbia St., between Kane and Degraw streets, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, 718-643-8484, free.

TALKS

SEVEN GRACES On the heels of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to America, where among his stops were historic masses at the city’s Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and a packed Yankee Stadium, the Museum of the City of New York hosts a symposium on Catholics in New York. The panel discussion examines the history and diversity of Catholicism between 1808 and 1946. Author Terry Golway moderates the event, which is co-sponsored by the Archbishop Hughes Institute on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. Tomorrow, 6 p.m., Fordham Law School at Lincoln Center, McNally Auditorium, 140 W. 62nd St. at Columbus Avenue, 718-817-3185, free.

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