Children's museums & attractions

Garden State Discovery Museum 2040 Springdale Rd., Cherry Hill; 856-424-1233. www.discoverymuseum.com. Hands-on children's museum featuring an activity wonderland for infants through age 10. Shadow Storytelling - Kids can make shadow puppets using their hands & props. 11/3 11 am, 1 & 3 pm. Diwali: Indian Festival of Lights - Henna painting, lantern making, Indian dancing, treats & more. 11/8. $9.95; $8.95 seniors; free for children under 1. Sun.-Fri. 9:30 am-5:30 pm; Sat. 9:30 am-8:30 pm.

Insectarium 8046 Frankford Ave.; 215-335-9500. www.insectarium.com. Ongoing: Arachnid Alley - Exhibit about spiders; Cockroach Kitchen - Live cockroach exhibit; Insect Museum - Thousands of mounted & live specimens, interactive exhibits; Working Beehive - Live bee exhibit. $7; free for children under 2. Mon.-Sat. 10 am-4 pm.

Kix & Giggles Children's Playground 9356 Old Bustleton Ave.; 215-677-4140. www.kixandgiggles.com. Attractions include a wrap-around gym, a rock wall, soft-play section for babies & toddlers, an outside seating area & more. Mondays 10 am-3 pm are reserved for children with special needs & their families. See website for more details. $6.95. Tue.-Thu. 10 am-8 pm; Fri.-Sat. 10 am-9 pm; Sun. 10 am-8 pm.

The Please Touch Museum 210 N. 21st St.; 215-963-0667. www.pleasetouchmuseum.org. Arts & crafts, stories, theater, interactive exhibits, hands-on activities & more. Eat Like a Pirate - New theater show about good nutrition & exercise to be staged daily through 11/25 & free with museum admission. $10.95; free for children under 1. Daily 9 am-4:30 pm.

Sesame Place 100 Sesame Rd., Langhorne; 215-752-7070. www.sesameplace.com. Family amusement park where beloved Sesame Street characters come to life through parades, rides (including the roller coaster, Vapor Trail), live shows, play areas (Big Bird's Court, Elmo's World, etc.), meal times with furry friends (Breakfast with Cookie Monster, Lunch with Big Bird, etc.) & more. $44.50; $39.50 seniors; free for children under 2. Weekends only.

*FREE* Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse Intersection of 33rd & Oxford Sts. in E. Fairmount Park; 215-765-4325. www.smithplayhouse.org. Three-story "play mansion" for children 0-5 yrs. old & huge outdoor play park for children 0-10 featuring the Giant Wooden Slide, the giant net climber, the Apollo spinner climber, the Biggo Duo swing & much more. Tue.-Sun. 10 am-4 pm. Children must be accompanied by adult.

Literary Calendar

Book signings & readings

Borders Books & Music 80 E. Wynnewood Ave., Wynnewood; 610-642-0362. www.bordersstores.com. Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Punk Farm on Tour. 11/7 7 pm.

Borders Books & Music 515 Rte. 73 South, Marlton; 856-985-5080. www.bordersstores.com. Eli Kowalski: Looking Back: 75 Years of Eagles History. 11/3 1 pm. Cheryl Mercier & Ethel David: My Lover the Rabbi, My Husband the Doctor. 11/8 6:30 pm.

Bryn Mawr College 101 N. Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr; 610-526-5745. www.brynmawr.edu. Lee Woodruff: In an Instant. 11/4 2 pm.

Chester County Book & Music Company 975 Paoli Pike, West Chester; 610-696-1661. www.ccbmc.com. Cousin Brucie Morrow: Doo Wop, The Music, The Times, The Era. 11/4 3 pm. Ursula Hegi: The Worst Thing I've Done. 11/5 7:30 pm.

Children's Book World 17 Haverford Station Rd., Haverford; 610-642-6274. www.childrensbookworld.net. Catherine Gilbert Murdock: Dairy Queen & The Off Season. 11/2 7 pm.

Congregation Rodeph Shalom 615 N. Broad St.; 215-627-6747. www.rodephshalom.org. Aaron Lansky: Outwitting History. 11/4 7 pm.

Delaware County Community College 901 South Media Line Rd., Media; 610-359-5134. www.dccc.edu. Faith Ringgold: We Flew Over the Bridge. 11/6 11 am.

Faber Bookstore 30th Street Station; 215-386-5235. Ray Didinger: One Last Read. 11/2 4-6 pm.

Free Library of Philadelphia - Central Branch 1901 Vine St.; 215-686-5322. www.library.phila.gov. Adrian Tomine: Shortcomings. 11/6 7 pm. Thomas H. Keels: Forgotten Philadelphia. 11/7 7 pm. Haifa Zangana: City of Widows. 11/8 noon. Shalom Auslander:Foreskin's Lament: A Memoir. 11/8 7 pm.

Ocean County Library 101 Washington St., Toms River; 732-349-6200. oceancountylibrary.org/Branches/TR/tr.htm. Chris Jericho: A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex. 11/4 2 pm. Bob Spitz: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!. 11/7 7 pm.

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Vera King Farris Dr., Pomona; 609-652-1776. www2.stockton.edu. Jane Golden: Philadelphia & the Stories They Tell. Held in the Arts & Sciences Building. 11/8 3 pm.