‘Beauty and the Beast’

Yes, it’s that tale as old as time, but Literally Alive Children’s Theater has put a different spin on it in this revival of the musical adaptation by Michael Sgouros and Brenda Bell. This version, in previews now and opening on Feb. 27, draws heavily on the original story, with dream sequences in which Beauty, while in the Beast’s castle, encounters his human self in her dreams. Tickets include a preshow workshop in which children meet cast members and make Beauty or Beast masks to take home.

‘America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far’

You have to look hard for positive representations of the Muslim world in popular culture, and even harder for a way to make it accessible to the youngest Americans. This exhibition, which just opened at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, aims to teach visitors 10 and under about a variety of Muslim communities. Divided into five sections, the show includes a global marketplace, an exploration of trade routes, a courtyard area and an investigation of architecture through different mosque styles. The final section is devoted to an American home, represented by a living room filled with objects donated by Muslims in the United States.

The Trial of Typhoid Mary

Next Friday marks the anniversary of “Typhoid” Mary Mallon’s first release from quarantine. She promised never to work as a cook again (that’s how she spread typhoid in the past). But shortly after her release, she changed her name to Mrs. Brown and broke her promise to stay out of the city’s kitchens. In this interactive show, it’s up to young visitors and their families to sleuth through the museum’s galleries and catch her before she can spread the deadly fever.

‘Wintertime Wonders’

Gardens may look bleak in winter, but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface. The New York Botanical Garden is inviting children to celebrate that activity in this program at its Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Indoors, at the Discovery Center, young visitors can make bark rubbings, count tree rings and create necklaces made of buds. Outdoors, they can use field notebooks to investigate and record what’s taking place in those hidden layers. This week, for winter break, the Garden is hosing a science camp from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. where kids can learn how plants survive in the chilly weather, explore the garden’s tropical and desert collections and participate in various games, crafts and activities. (Through March 20.) Weekdays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road, the Bronx, 718-817-8700, nybg.org.

‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show’

This puppet production doesn’t star only that voracious caterpillar, well known to generations of little fans of the author and illustrator Eric Carle; it also features the title creatures of three other vibrant picture books he created: “The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse,” “Mister Seahorse” and “The Very Lonely Firefly.” Brought to life by the Puppet Kitchen, these fanciful characters will take the stage in an hourlong adaptation conceived by Jonathan Rockefeller. The show, which opened in Australia a year ago, begins previews this weekend, with its American premiere scheduled for Feb. 7.