This is the rollicking tale of the adventures of Charlie, the youngest cable car. Only 60 years old, he is tired of the same old rut. One night as he's puffing himself up Nob Hill, he hears a lot of excitement down below: Chinese New Year! Suddenly, Charlie takes a right turn at Jackson Street, rather than the left he has taken decades, and finds himself in the middle of the parade. There he meets a friendly dragon named Chu Chin Chow, who is bored with his job. Charlie treats Chu to a cable car ride that looks as if it will end in a disastrous plunge into the San Francisco Bay — unless a miracle occurs.

 Author Herb Caen was a beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and friend to an entire city; he knew San Francisco like no one else. His wise and witty writing on Baghdad-by-the-Bay celebrated all that was weird, wonderful and uniquely San Francisco.

 Additional Information:

• 40 pages, paperback
• 7 3/8 x 9 inches
• Ages 4–7
• Publication: 1995