The Cable Car and the Dragon by Herb Caen (1972) is a pleasant story about a cable car in San Francisco named Charlie. The narrator is a man who rides Charlie almost every day. He provides a brief history of life before Andrew Hallidie invented the cable car in 1873, before we meet Charlie. He describes how he rides Charlie up steep hills and down valleys, past buildings big and little, through ethnic neighborhoods, and then, "Just when you think you're going to go right into the water, the cable car suddenly turns into a pretty little park, and that's the end of the line." While riding the cable car all alone one night, the man talks with Charlie. "I think I'm getting a little old for the job," Charlie says, and, "I'm not having any FUN." When Charlie and the man pass a Chinese New Year's parade, the cable car jumps the tracks to see the giant Chinese dragon. The dragon is thrilled to meet Charlie and sneaks off to ride the cable car. Of course, some drama ensues. The cover art by Barbara Ninde Byfield invited me to pick up the book. Her illustrations are part of the fun of this fiction.
Patty Fernandez Artist has Let's Draw a Cable Car! Drue's ESL has San Francisco City Profile.
