Join us online as we read Up and Down on the Merry-Go-Round by Bill Martin Jr.

In this rhyming story that's perfect for reading aloud and along, children describe the sights and sounds of riding on the merry-go-round from atop the colorful menagerie of horses, elephants, and giraffes that carry them into imaginative adventures.

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Join us online as we read Harry the Carousel Horse by Karin Tetlow.

This is a rare children’s story that talks about emotions and the idea that we can have control over how we feel. Harry lives on a carousel on the Mall. He is unhappy because no children want to ride him and goes on a dream journey to find out why. On the way he meets different horses and finally finds Will, who helps him change how he feels. Will is an ancient horse who finds happiness by looking down on beautiful and mysterious crop circles. The book concludes with a Real Life Notes page with photographs of the horses, characters and places that inspired the story. They include the carousel horses on the Mall in Washington D.C., the bright gold statue of Joan of Arc in Philadelphia, a Medicine Hat horse belonging to a riding therapy program for disabled children, a beloved rocking horse ridden by a Philadelphia child, and the Alton Barnes white horse carved on an Wiltshire hillside near Stonehenge, England. Wiltshire is the most active area in the world for crop circles. For children ages 3 to 7 years old.

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Join us as we read Carousel by Donald Crews.

Choose your horse. Hold on tight. The music's starting and you're on your way!

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Join us as we read A Ride to Remember by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan.

The true story of how a ride on a carousel made a powerful Civil Rights statement A Ride to Remember tells how a community came together--both black and white--to make a change. When Sharon Langley was born in the early 1960s, many amusement parks were segregated, and African-American families were not allowed entry. This book reveals how in the summer of 1963, due to demonstrations and public protests, the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Maryland became desegregated and opened to all for the first time. Co-author Sharon Langley was the first African-American child to ride the carousel. This was on the same day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Langley's ride to remember demonstrated the possibilities of King's dream. This book includes photos of Sharon on the carousel, authors' notes, a timeline, and a bibliography.

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Join us as we read A Carousel Tale by Elisa Kleven.

Ernst loves the carousel near his house, and his favorite carousel animal is the dog. When the dog's wooden tail comes loose just before winter, Ernst is given the important job of keeping it safe until springtime. But the tail looks sad sitting on Ernst's shelf without its dog, and Ernst can't help but try to cheer it up. It isn't long before he has transformed the lonely tail into something wonderful. As spring approaches, Ernst wonders if he will have to give up his special creation. And if he doesn't, what will the poor dog have to wag? The imaginative crocodile from Ernst and The Puddle Pail shines once again in a story that children will treasure.

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Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the carousel with NPS Ranger Kevin Patti. Learn about carousel history and fun facts about the carousel and Wurlitzer band organ. Watch the premiere on our YouTube channel on Friday, February 19 at 12:30pm.

Rosa Patton has been restoring carousels for 43 years, including the 20-year restoration of Glen Echo's carousel. She will discuss the painting style differences between carousel manufacturers, the types of paints used, and the tools and brushes used for achieving the signature look of each company. She will also give a painting technique demonstration to show how the company's artists worked and how these techniques were used during the carousel's restoration.

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The restorer and caretaker of the organ for the last 50 years will talk about the history of the organ at the Park, its modifications, restoration and maintenance.  A rear view of the organ’s mechanism will be described and shown in operation.

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Before Glen Echo’s wonderful W. H. Dentzel carousel was delivered from Philadelphia in 1921, the park featured a large carousel created in Coney Island by W. F. Mangels with horses and chariots by M. C. Illions. This presentation will consider why each of the carousels was purchased, compare the regional styles of the two manufacturers, introduce the men who carved and built the two carousels, and show how W. H. Dentzel recycled elements from the Glen Echo Mangels carousel into a “new” carousel in 1922.

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Join us for a virtual presentation by Ilana Trachtman, the producer of an upcoming documentary about the Civil Rights story of the Dentzel Carousel called "There Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round".

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