The California Coast (Stories from Where We Live Series) Book

Divided into four sections — Adventures, Great Places, Reapers and Sowers, and Wild Lives — this wonderfully imaginative book uses a rich array of historical and contemporary entries to introduce the history, culture, and natural life of the California coast from the Oregon border to the Baja peninsula. Readers learn of Wells Fargo stagecoach "whips," surfers who brave the sharks in the Red Triangle, and the "Pigeon Express" that carried mail to the Channel Islands in the days before radio. They meet a band of gold miners and a Native American woman who survived alone on an island for eighteen years. There are pieces about seals and sea otters, chaparral and redwoods, the La Brea tar pits, and the fine art of grunion hunting. The selections, often featuring children as the protagonists, include contributions from Native Americans and the many ethnic groups who have made California their home. A list of parks and other natural areas families can visit is included.