C is For Concord: An A-Z Journey Through Concord, California. Written and illustrated by Sammy and Kori Barton. $16.00 paperback.
This charming book presents a glimpse of Concord’s history and attractions. It’s a slim book, but don’t be fooled – it’s somehow bigger on the inside, packed with stories about our city, from mini-histories of Mount Diablo, Buchanan Airfield and the Cowell Portland Cement Company to purely local interest stories about the family-owned King’s Donuts, the (now) West Wind Drive-In, and the Christmas lights extravaganza Bruce Mertz set up for many years at his home on Olive Drive. There’s a nice balance between the past and present: it’s good that we should know about Ignacio Sibrian and Salvio Pacheco – but it’s also fun to see modern-day notable Tom Hanks included!
The book gives a fine sense of the evolution of familiar places over time. The Iron Horse Trail’s railroad days are gone, but the trail is now a popular community hiking and bicycle trail. And the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, important during World War II, became a “ghost town” after it was decommissioned, then a refuge for a herd of Tule elk successfully brought back from near-extinction, and the bunker section will one day be an open-space park.
Each “letter” is illustrated with a colorful painting by Kori Barton, a sprightly rhyme, and the fuller story in a sidebar, making it perfect for a family read-along.
The Bartons are almost finished with a new book, W is for Walnut Creek, which will be out soon. We’re looking forward to it! We’ll certainly carry it at the shop along with C is for Concord.
You can find out more about the authors in an interview in The Pioneer
–Cheryl