Friends of Montclair Library

Ready to continue your summer adventures with the Discover & Go program? This week we tackle the second batch of a dozen attractions (plus one I missed last week), pairing each with a children’s book from the Montclair collection to enrich your experience. Feel free to share your suggestions and recommendations in the comments!

California Shakespeare Theater | calshakes.org
What: A 545-seat outdoor amphitheater with adjacent picnic grounds, located near Orinda. As of today, the only passes available are to “King Lear,” which is not exactly kid-friendly (the body count is like a Tarantino movie), but it’s something to keep in mind for the future.
Pair it with: William Shakespeare & the Globe by Aliki (J 792.09421 ALIKI). This book tells the story of Shakespeare and of the famous Globe Theatre in which many of his works were performed.

CuriOdyssey | curiodyssey.org
What: Science and wildlife center at Coyote Point in San Mateo. Curiodyssey is home to nearly 100 native non-releasable animals, from bobcats to a ringtail cacomistle (look it up).
Pair it with: Pick up a book of tales from Northern California’s native peoples to get a new perspective on some of the animals you meet at the museum. Lord of the Animals: A Miwok Indian Creation Myth by Fione French (Fairy Tale Picture Books J 398.2 FRENCH) and The People with Five Fingers: A Native Californian Creation Tale by John Bierhorst (Fairy Tale Picture Books J 398.2 BIERHORST) both retell the story of how Coyote and other animals created the world and the people who came to live in it.

di Rosa | dirosaart.org
What: Napa art preserve and gallery with indoor and outdoor exhibits of work by Northern California artists, in a stunning natural setting.
Pair it with: Since the di Rosa collection skews toward the unique and strange, read about a rule-breaking artist in Bottle Houses: The Creative World of Grandma Prisbrey by Melissa Eskridge Slaymaker (J BIO PRISBEY), an introduction to the world of California folk artist Grandma Prisbrey.

El Campanil Theatre | elcampaniltheatre.com
What: Iconic theater with Moorish architecture in downtown Antioch. Originally built in 1928 as a vaudeville theatre, El Campanil was renovated in 2004 and hosts concerts, community events and films. The International Film Showcase available through Discover & Go isn’t for kids, but the theater does host live children’s performances at other times starring the kids from their in-house drama program.
Pair it with: It turns out children’s books about movie theaters are few and far between. But with a nod to El Campanil’s vaudeville past, there’s The Piano Man by Debbi Chocolate (J PICBK CHOCOLATE), in which a young African American girl recalls the life story of her grandfather, who performed in vaudeville and played piano for the silent movies.

Exploratorium | exploratorium.edu
What: Hands-on exhibits that let you explore science, art and human perception, on the San Francisco Embarcadero.
Pair it with: Awesome Dawson by Chris Gall (J PICBK GALL). All his life, Dawson has been inventing things, repairing toys in unusual ways, and helping clean up his neighborhood by reusing discarded objects, but when his Vacu-Maniac malfunctions it is his friend Mooey whose brainpower saves the day.

Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse | thefreight.org
What: Non-profit music institution offering traditional music from around the world. All performances are all-age, and they also host a variety of kid-focused shows & summer camps.
Pair it with: Violet’s Music by Angela Johnson (J PICBK JOHNSON) is a lively, lyrical story of a girl looking for friends to share her love of music. For a more folk-music slant, try Passing the Music Down by Sarah Sullivan (J PICBK SULLIVAN – not at Montclair), in which a boy and his family befriend a country fiddler, who teaches the boy all about playing the old tunes.

Gibson House, Yolo County Historical Museum | gibsonhouse.org
What: Historic home in Woodland representing a typical rural home and ranch setting from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries.
Pair it with: Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown (J PICBK BROWN). Rhymed text and illustrations introduce the many different animals that live in the big red barn. (Also available in Spanish.)

GLBT History Museum | glbthistory.org/museum
What: Located in San Francisco’s Castro District, the GLBT History Museum celebrates 100 years of the city’s vast queer past through dynamic and surprising exhibitions and programming.
Pair it with: King & King by Linda de Haan & Stern Nijland (J PICBK HAAN) is a twist on traditional fairy tales, in which the prince’s search for a suitable mate does not turn out as expected.

Golden State Model Railroad Museum | gsmrm.org
What: 10,000 square foot of operating model trains, located in Richmond
Pair it with: Bet you didn’t know the Montclair Library has 114 kids’ books about trains! (Unless you have a young train fanatic in your house – then you knew.) Chugga-chugga Choo-choo by Kevin Lewis (J PICBK LEWIS) is a rhyming story about a toy freight train’s day, from loading freight in the morning to retiring to the roundhouse after the day’s work is done.

Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House | gracehudsonmuseum.org
What: Art, history and anthropology museum in Ukiah with changing exhibitions about Western American art, California Indian cultures, histories of California’s diverse North Coast region and the work of contemporary regional artists.
Pair it with: The museum’s current exhibit, Modern Twist: Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art (May 30–August 30, 2015) ties into the museum’s Pomo basket collection. Check out Weaving a California Tradition: A Native American Basketmaker by Linda Yamane (J 746.412 YAMANE) to follow along as an eleven-year-old Western Mono Indian and her relatives prepare materials needed for basketweaving, make the baskets, and attend the California Indian Basketweavers Association’s annual gathering.

Habitot Children’s Museum | habitot.org
What: Hands-on play and exhibits for preschool-age kids, including art, water play and pretend play, in downtown Berkeley. NOTE: Participation limited to certain zip codes – check their website to see if you qualify.
Pair it with: Celebrate messy art and creative rule-breaking with Karen Beaumont’s I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! (J PICBK BEAUMONT), featuring paint-splashed illustrations by David Catrow.

Lawrence Hall of Science | lawrencehallofscience.org
What: Public science center in the Berkeley hills with exhibits on topics from earthquakes to dinosaurs.
Pair it with: Get a behind-the-scenes peek at museum displays with How the Meteorite Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland (J 523.51 HARTLAND), which details one space rock’s journey from outer space, to the roof of a car in Peekskill, New York and finally to the American Museum of Natural History.

Lindsay Wildlife Museum | lindsaywildlife.org
What: Live, native California animals and changing natural history and wildlife art exhibits, in Walnut Creek.
Pair it with: Meet one of the museum’s raptor ambassadors, then follow it up with a reading of Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (J PICBK WADDELL). Three owl babies whose mother has gone out in the night try to stay calm while she is gone.

Tune in next week to learn about options from the Marine Mammal Center to the Richmond Museum of History.

Photos: Exploratorium by David Lytle via Flickr / Creative Commons | Freight & Salvage by Sha Sha Chu via Flickr / Creative Commons