20
TUESDAY
Some books let you climb through a hole and disappear; you get to escape without actually having to do stuff. But recently I discovered Linneaheroine of children’s bookswho, charmingly, does the opposite. She’s bright and engaging and, best of all, she wants to do stuff. She wants to go places and have authentic experiences and meet smart people who can tell her about all the fantastic things the world has to offer. In Linnea in Monet’s Garden, she travels to Paris and to Giverny, where she revels in the beautiful and life-affirming things she’s seen and read about in books. She let me climb through to her world, but I didn’t disappear: I went right out and did stuff. You should, too, when Linnea’s author, Christina Björk, signs copies of her work at a wine-and-cheese reception at 7 p.m. at Olsson’s Books & Records, 1200 F St. NW. Free. (202) 393-1853. (Jennifer Agresta)