San Francisco

Charming tour of San Francisco neighborhoods, plus fun facts about the city. Intricate collage illustrations – look for a dog, a cat and a baby in every scene. (Picture book)

Take a trip around San Francisco with Pete and his dog, Larry. After Larry takes a wrong turn on Lombard Street, he runs up Coit Tower, down to Fisherman's Wharf, past the stone lions in Chinatown, through Golden Gate Park, all the way to the ocean at Seal Rock. Delightfully illustrated. (Picture book)

"Today I moved to a twelve acre rock covered with cement." Moose Flanagan was an ordinary 7th grader until his dad takes a job on Alcatraz. Now Moose lives on an island where Al Capone works in the laundry, J. Edgar Hoover gets his pocket picked, and a bunch of kids foil an attempted escape. Two funny, unforgettable adventures on Alcatraz! (Chapter book)

"Maybelle was a cable car, a San Francisco cable car …" Big Bill might be a newer, faster bus, but Maybelle is still the best on the steep hills. Irresistible story of how the people of San Francisco saved their beloved cable cars, Maybelle is a perennial children's favorite. (Picture book)

It's 1906, and young Nick has recently arrived in San Francisco. On the night of the earthquake, Nick leads a little girl and her injured mother to safety, and risks his own life to save his employer's golden dog. A fabulous story that conveys the experience of devastation and heroic efforts after the earthquake. (Chapter book)

The magic tree house has spun Jack and Annie back to San Francisco on April 18, 1906. In just minutes, the whole city begins to shake and roll – it's the big earthquake. Will they get out of San Francisco before the fires spread? (Easy reader)

"The Earth Dragon is mad." Gripping story of two families during the San Francisco earthquake, and the aftermath, the Great Fire. Wonderful local color – people setting up households on the sidewalk, pumping water from underground cisterns to fight the fire, escaping the city on ferries across the bay. (Chapter book)

A cultural tour of San Francisco's Chinatown. This is a wonderful background for what you'll see – herb shops with unique aromas, stationery stores and calligraphy, the Tin How temple, art galleries with brush paintings, New Year's parades, festivals and dragon lore. (Picture book)

Gorgeously illustrated story that captures the heart of San Francisco. A new imigrant, Ming is left alone to tend store in Chinatown. Befriended by a kind-hearted Irish boy, Ming widens his horizons, and together the boys have a plan to save the store. (Picture book)

Warm, humorous story of Charlie, the cable car who jumps his tracks to see a New Year's parade in Chinatown, and helps out a great Chinese dragon, Chu. "Hey, aren't those WHEELS under the dragon's trail?" (Picture book)

True story of Humphrey, a humpback whale, who made a wrong turn and wandered into San Francisco Bay. When Humphrey swims up the Sacramento River, he's in big trouble, but there's a plan to save him. (Picture book)

Editor's note: In May 2007, a mom and baby whale made the same wrong turn.

Read about the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world – how it was built, how the bridge works, and what is the exact color of the bridge. (Picture book)

50 colorful cards, with fun maps on one side, and information on the other, for walks around Fisherman's Wharf, the Embarcadero, Union Square, Golden Gate Park, and more, plus how to get there with public transportation. Let the kids pick what to see today! (Guide)