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San Francisco Guide Books

Books and Guides for the children too.

Frommer's Napa & Sonoma Day by Day 5 stars

Frommer's San Francisco 2009Frommer's San Francisco 2009

Michelin Red Guide San Francisco 2008: Bay Area and Wine Country 4 stars






Circling San Francisco BayCircling San Francisco Bay: A Pilgrimage to Wild and Sacred Places by 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.BirdsBirds 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.


 

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



Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunter's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area






San Francisco As You Like ItSan Francisco As You Like It: 23 Tailor-Made Tours for Culture Vultures, Shopaholics, Neo-Bohemians, Famished Foodies, Savvy Natives & Everyone Else






The Cafes of San FranciscoThe Cafes of San Francisco: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of America's Original Cafe Society guide to the cosmopolitan San Francisco Bay Area through its unique cafés.Includes 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



Stairway Walks in San Francisco

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 Unknown CitySan Francisco: The Unknown City five starsby 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.


San Francisco Night and DayNight+Day San Francisco(Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series)  five stars
The debut of this new book series Pulse Guides Cool Cities Series) by Julianne Balmain and Kate Chynoweth looks at the hip cool as well as the classic spots and activities that make up San Francisco's unique character.

 

Walking San FranciscoWalking 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.


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

Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region: Mendocino to Monterey, Revised Edition by Linda Beidleman (Author), Eugene Kozloff (Author)




Cruising Guide to San Francisco BayCruising Guide to San Francisco Bay - 2nd Edition
by Carolyn Mehaffy, Bob Mehaffy





Sailing The BaySailing The Bay
by Kimball Livingston






Golden Gate GardeningGolden Gate Gardening: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area & Coastal California

Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation

CelluloidCelluloid San Francisco: The Film Lover's Guide to Bay Area Movie Locations
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 NoirSan Francisco Noir by 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 FranciscoSecret San Francisco: The Unique Guidebook to San Francisco's Hidden Sites, Sounds, & Tastes 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.

Cheap Bsstard's guide to San Francisco The Cheap Bastard's Guide to San Francisco: Secrets of Living the Good Life--for Free! by Karen Solomon
First edition September 1, 2007
A San Francisco insider reveals, with wit and humor, hundreds of ideas for free or ridiculously cheap goods and services.
Self described certified cheap bastard Karen Solomon is a writer for San Francisco Magazine and SFGate.com and a contributor to Chow! San Francisco Bay Area. She lives in San Francisco.


Stairway WalksStairway Walks in San Francisco
A wonderfully informative guidebook, custom-made for a city with challenging hills and picture-perfect views. Painstakingly indexed and chock full of fascinating details...an exciting and valuable resource for lifelong residents and first-time visitors alike.


Streetwise San Francisco Streetwise San Francisco
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 StoriesTravelers' 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 FranciscoTime Out San Francisco Seventh 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.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SAN FRANCISCOLitle Black Book of San Francisco five starsby 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 chrming neighborhoods.

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

 

CHILDREN


Good Night San FranciscoGood Night San Francisco (Good Night Our World series)
by Adam Gamble, Santiago Cohen (Illustrator)
five stars Ages 4-8




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






Frommer's San Francisco with Kids
(Frommer's With Kids)

Maybelle the Cable CarMaybelle the Cable Car
by Virginia Lee Burton

Reading level: Ages 4-8



The City by the BayCity 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 Bridge by 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




Baby-Friendly San Francisco The lilaguide: Baby-Friendly San Francisco Bay Area, 2005: New Parent Survival Guide to Shopping, Activities, Restaurants and More






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




Fly High, Fly LowFly High, Fly Low

by Don Freeman (Illustrator)
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

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


Earthquake in the Early MorningEarthquake in the Early Morning
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

West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1951West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915 by 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.

Journey around San FranciscoJourney Around San Francisco from A to Z (Journey Series) by Martha Day Zschock
(Ages 4-8)
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.


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 last year. This touching book, with realistic illustration is a sure child- parent-pleaser.

Balloon BoyThe Balloon Boy of San Francisco
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

City Walks with KidsCity 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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