Amazing Stories: Throughout April, several rare Japanese fairy-tale books will be on display as the Treasure of the Month at the Rosenberg Library, 2310 Sealy Ave. Published between 1885 and 1903 and acquired by the library in 1918, the books use hand-carved woodblock printing and the Chirimen-bon form of crepe paper to relate ancient stories such as “The Tongue Cut Sparrow” and “Battle of the Monkey and the Crab.” These stories often feature animal protagonists and the frequent appearance of ghosts, demons and other spirits; rather than following a hero through a series of grueling physical challenges, as their Western counterparts often do, these stories often end with him reflecting on his journey or place in nature. Visit rosenberg-library.org for details.

Steamy Weekend: A world where steam, not electricity, is the main driver of technology is the heart of steampunk, a branch of science fiction first coined by author K.W. Jeter in 1987 and glimpsed in force at many past iterations of Dickens on the Strand. From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, hundreds of steampunk fans will descend on the Galveston Railroad Museum, 2602 Santa Fe Place, for the second year of the Galveston Steampunk Festival. Things to see and do include 50-plus vendors at the steampunk bazaar, train and steamboat rides, author panels, professional photo sessions, a costume contest, the wildly popular teapot races and a live performance by steampunk rockers Frenchy and the Punk. Or, come check out the DeLorean from the Back to the Future movies and a demonstration by the Houston Area Blacksmithing Association.