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San Francisco Guide Books

Books and Guides for children too.

Backroads of the California Coast:Backroads of the California Coast:
Your Guide to Scenic Getaways & Adventures

Moon Northern California Biking (Moon Outdoors)
4 1/2 Stars by Ann Marie Brown


Circling San Francisco Bay * Circling San Francisco Bay: A Pilgrimage to Wild and Sacred Placesby Ginny Anderson five stars
This book lights the way for readers to forge a deeper link between themselves and the natural world, as it explores the meaning and connections between sacred place, personal space, open hearts, and intent. It describes the author's pilgrimage as it unfolds in the mountains that surround San Francisco Bay, and invites the reader to embark on one as well.


S.F.Birds* Birds of San Francisco and the Bay Area
by Chris C. Fisher
We have an amazing assortment of beautiful birds here,Yes I know we have a lot of bird-brained people too. :-)
weblink: Birds Commonly Seen in San Francisco


Bay Area Wild
* Bay Area Wild: A Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area: By Galen Rowell, Michael Sewell(Contributor), David J. Brower
A Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area five stars

 

Fodor's San Francisco 2012: with the Wine Country (Full-color Travel Guide)


Ghost Hunters
* Ghost Hunter's Guide to The San Francisco Bay Area
by Jeff Dwyer five stars




Ghosts Town of Northern California
* Ghost Towns of Northern California (Pictorial Discovery Guide) by Philip Varney




San Francisco As You Like It* San Francisco As You Like It: 23 Tailor-Made Tours for Culture Vultures, Shopaholics, Neo-Bohemians, Famished Foodies, Savvy Natives & Everyone Else
by Bonnie Wach five stars





The Cafes of San Francisco* The Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of America's Original Cafe SocietyIncludes over 300 full-color photographs, 35 in-depth profiles, a directory of more than 340 cafes, and café stories, thoughts, and recipes from café lovers including former Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Francis Ford Coppola, Chef Joey Altman, Caffe Trieste, Jane.org, Absinthe, Zero Degree, Caffe Proust, The Republic of Tea, and more five stars


Stairway Walks in San Francisco
by Adah Bakalinsky, Marian Gregoire 5 stars
Veteran walker Adah Bakalinsky has combined dozens of her favorite stairways into these guided neighborhood walks,each with its own unique personality



San Francisco: The City's Sights and Secrets
by Leah Garchik 4 1/2 Stars

 

San Francisco Unknown City* San Francisco: The Unknown Cityfive stars
by Josh Krist
The Unknown City series of alternative guidebooks shares stories of notorious murders, city hall scandals, and untold tales of Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury, and Castro Street share pages with secret dining pleasures, shopping meccas, and nightclub hotspots.


* Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region: Mendocino to Monterey, Revised Edition, by Linda Beidleman,
and Eugene Kozloff five stars


*Cruising Guide to San Francisco Bay
- 2nd Edition

by Carolyn Mehaffy, Bob Mehaffy



Sailing The Bay* Sailing The Bay
by Kimball Livingston






* Golden Gate Gardening: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area and Coastal California4 1/2 Stars
by Pam Peirce

* Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation4 1/2 Stars

Celluloid* Celluloid San Francisco: The Film Lover's Guide to Bay Area Movie Locations4 1/2 Stars
by Jim Van Buskirk, Will Shank
This comprehensive guide to thousands of movie and television locations in the San Francisco Bay area includes easy-to-follow maps to identify significant historical film sites.


San Francisco Noir* San Francisco Noirby Nathaniel Rich
In this guide to the great films noir and the locations where they were shot, the mythic noir city meets San Francisco‛s own dark past. Photographs and period film stills are included.
"Nathaniel Rich has written a fascinating work of criticism disguised as a guided tour around a great city."..Martin Scorsese


Secret San Francisco* Secret San Francisco: The Unique Guidebook to San Francisco's Hidden Sites, Sounds, & Tastes (Secret Guide series)by David Armstrong
Secret San Francisco was written to help you lose yourself in the city and come to know it the way locals do. So you'll fall in love with San Francisco, but your love won't be blind.


Streetwise San Francisco * Streetwise San Francisco Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of San Francisco, California - Folding pocket size travel map with BART map, MUNI lines, bus routes4 1/2 Stars
Revised yearly, STREETWISE(r) is the best-selling map of SAN FRANCISCO, with coverage from McLaren Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Localities covered are Fisherman Wharf, China Town, and Golden Gate Park. Points of interest such as museums, hotels, parks, and popular sites are highlighted and fully indexed. Bus routes are clearly indicated on a map inset. Laminated for durability, accordion folded to fit in your pocket or purse, STREETWISE(r) gives you SAN FRANCISCO in a clear, concise, and convenient format.


Travelers Tales San Francisco: True Stories* Travelers' Tales San Francisco: True Stories
From the Pacific surf to Nob Hill to Chinatown, the legendary City by the Bay comes to life in this diverse collection of essays celebrating America's favorite playground. Skate through the wonders of Golden Gate Park, discover culinary delights in the Mission, and relive the days of the gold rush with these true stories written by Andrei Codrescu, Barnaby Conrad, Herbert Gold, Michele Anna Jordan, Herb Caen, Linda Watanabe McFerrin and Richard Rodriguez.

Time Out San Francisco*Time Out San FranciscoSeventh edition(May 28, 2008)
Time Out guide takes visitors through the boulevards and byways of a world-class city. Informed locals profile the cultural background and how to make the most of it, from San Francisco's Gold Rush origins to its beatnik and hippie subcultures. Here too are the best ways to enjoy the city's renowned gay scene, its superb walking-tour opportunities, and the outlying Wine Country. five stars

Walking San Francisco* Walking San Francisco
This selection of San Francisco walking tours is the most diverse and complete. Not only are familiar and less familiar parts of the city covered, but also how to reach starting points by pubic transportation (vital for pedestrians), time required, degree of difficulty, and special points to note. It's a great introduction to this fair city. 4 1/2 Stars

Little black Book of San Francisco* The Little Black Book of San Francisco, 2011 Editionfive stars
by Marlene Goldman (Author), Kerren Barbas Steckler (Illustrator)
I do feel a bit sad when I see tourists doing the same things, going to top 5 places in our city and missing so much more of its flavor without even realizing it. For me one the best things to do in San Francisco is to explore the neighborhoods.
I am always partial to Guideboodks that offer more than just the usual rounds,
This little book has many different suggestions and includes pull out maps to some of our most charming neighborhoods.

Walking San Francisco: 30 Savvy Tours*Walking San Francisco: 30 Savvy Tours Exploring Steep Streets,
Grand Hotels, Dive Bars, and Waterfront Parks
 4 1/2 Stars by Tom Downs

* Literary Hills of San Francisco by Luree Miller
Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson,John Muir, Robert Frost, Jack London, Eugene O'Neill, Shirley Jackson, Alice B. Toklas, Armistead Maupin, Oscar Wilde,Kipling, Kerouac, Maya Angelou, and Amy Tan, all enjoyed their time here as many writers still do. This book tells of the different neighborhoods they lived in as well as how they spent their days. Each chapter has a suggested walking tour with map and points of literary and historical interest


BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

Frommer's San Francisco with Kids 2009* Frommer's San Francisco with Kids
Great for visitors and locals alike.
The Guides help you plan family
trips and outings that are fun for kids of all ages.
Written by parents for parents.
320 pages
4 edition (May 4, 2009)



Play Around the Bay* Play Around the Bay
A Guide to Bay Area Outings
for Parents of Young Children
by Robin Bennett (Editor)




Maybelle the Cable Car* Maybelle the Cable Car
by Virginia Lee Burton

Reading level: Ages 4-8



The City by the Bay* City by the Bay: A Magical Journey Around San Francisco
by Tricia Brown, Junior League of San Francisco,
Elisa Kleven (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8




Pop's Bridge * Pop's Bridgeby Eve Bunting, C.F. Payne (Illustrator)
( Ages: 5 to 8 years ) five stars
A picture book about the building of the Golden Gate bridge, told from the point of view of a boy whose father is on the crew.
Also includes lengthy note that fills in detailed background information about the famous bridge.
interview with author, Eve Bunting


Delta and Dawn
* Delta & Dawn: Mother & Baby Whales' Journey
by Sacramento News Anchor, Stefanie Cruz , and illustrator, Lily Toppenberg five stars
This true story of two humpback whales that wandered into the Sacramento River. This touching book, with realistic illustration is a sure child- parent-pleaser.

 

Journey around San Francisco
*Journey Around San Francisco From A to Z (Journey Series) by Martha Day Zschock
(Ages 4-8) 4 1/2 Stars
A charmingly illustrated book with friendly pelican guides to take you on a tour of San Francisco. My grandson is especially fond of this book and enjoys reading it reading to his younger cousins when they come to visit.



San Francisco's Children Map* Guy Fox San Francisco Children's Map
by Kourtney Harper (Illustrator)
March 1, 2007
(Ages 4-8)






Fodor's Around San Francisco with Kids*Fodor's Around San Francisco with Kids, 3rd Edition: 68 Great Things to Do Together
(Around the City with Kids)




Good Night San Francisco* GOOD NIGHT SAN FRANCISCO
[Board Books]
by Adam Gamble,
Santiago Cohen (Illustrator)
five stars Ages 4-8




Fly High, Fly Low* Fly High, Fly Low (50th Anniversary ed.)
by Don Freeman (Illustrator) 4 1/2 Stars
All Ages
Read it aloud to ages 3 to 6





This is San Francisco * This is San Francisco
by Miroslav Sasek five stars
(Ages 4-8)
This 2003 reissue edition also includes a number of annotations about how certain locales have changed since the book was first published in 1962. "City by the Golden Gate, Queen of the West, with only one drawback - "'tis hard to leave" M. Sasek echoes Kipling with more views than the 42 hills. The bridge across the bay; Golden Gate Park with 1,000,000 trees; Stow Lake and koala bears; Chinatown's Grant Avenue; Peking ducks and pagoda phone booths; Union Square, Presidio, Alcatraz, City Hall and Fisherman's Wharf.Foggy day, bright blue sky - This is San Francisco!...Childrens Nonfiction

 

Larry Gets Lost in San Francisco* Larry Gets Lost in San Francisco
by Michael Mullin five stars
May 5, 2009
Ages 4-8
Larry drops his domut oh!oh! and then los his parent too. After little dog Larry has drooped his donut, and lost sight of his family- what is he to do? - follow along to find out what happens and on the way, see San Francisco from Larry's view.

San Francisco Coloring * San Francisco Coloring
& Activity Book
(City Books)
by Carole Marsh five stars
Ages 4-8
24 pages
123 San Francisco: * 123 San Francisco: A Cool Counting Book
A Cool Counting Book
Baby-Preschool
22 pages
Duo Press: September 1, 2009


Earthquake in the Early Morning* Earthquake in the Early Morningfive stars
Mary Pope Osborne's tremendously popular Magic Tree House series offers young readers a chance to immerse themselves in spellbinding adventures even as they learn about history. The terrible San Francisco earthquake is described with great historical accuracy, but with admirable age-appropriateness. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

Balloon Boy* The Balloon Boy of San Francisco4 1/2 Stars
By Dorothy Kupcha Leland.
"A delightful read for children and adults alike"
Newsboy "Ready" Gates, as his nickname implies, is ready for anything. For starters, the plucky redhead stows away on a riverboat, searches for a lost miner, meets the glamorous Lola Montez, and flies in a runaway balloon. Based on real people and events, the fictionalized story immerses readers in the sights, sounds, and smells of San Francisco at the height of the Gold Rush. Grade 4

West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1951* West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915by Laura Ingalls Wilder five stars
{Ages 9-12)
Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described in Little House in the Big Woods. As her classic Little House books tell us, she and her family traveled by covered wagon across the Midwest. She and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, made their own covered-wagon trip with their daughter, Rose, to Mansfield, Missouri. There Laura wrote her story in the Little House books, and lived until she was ninety years old. For millions of readers, however, she lives forever as the little pioneer girl in the beloved Little House books.

The Great NateNate the Great, San Francisco Detective five stars
by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, Mitchell Sharmat ,
illustrated by Martha Weston (Illustrator)
Ages 4-8

City Walks with Kids* City Walks with Kids: San Francisco: 50 Adventures on Foot w/ Card Deck
by Leslie Crawford.
Writer Leslie Crawford set out on foot with her collaborator, research assistant and key consultant, her 10 year old son, Sam Fox. Leslie and Sam came up with a super handy guide to touring their home town and having fabulous adventures.
The City Walks With Kids card deck provides walks for parents and caregivers looking for complete itineraries for day trips and outings with kids. This book is suitable for families planning a vacation to San Francisco or native San Francisco parents looking for fresh activity ideas. It includes cards that outline a self-guided walking adventure, along with detailed maps

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