From Park to Playa by sales-abramsbooks

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 2

8/3/23 7:31 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 3

8/3/23 7:31 PM

Dedicated to those who helped make the Park to Playa trail and to all who picnic and play at their local parks and paths. In honor of the memory of my mother, Patricia Cross, a librarian who loved to hike and gaze at views all over the world. —N.C.B. For Katelyn, the explorer. —S.D.

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or Published in 2024 by C K , an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may do not quote without be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,reposting. or transmitted in any formPlease or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. comparison to the finished book. Book design by Melissa Nelson Greenberg These images were created using Adobe Photoshop and Procreate. ameron ids

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. ISBN: 978-1-949480-25-2 Printed in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cameron Kids books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below.

ABRAMS The Art of Books

Children’s Books

195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 abramsbooks.com

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 4

8/3/23 7:31 PM

The Trails That Connect Us This is an advance, uncorrected proof. by NELL CROSS BECKERMAN Not for resale, duplication, or by SOPHIE DIAO reposting. art Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 5

8/3/23 7:31 PM

In our town there’s a trail connecting city park to playa—the beach and all the people who live here. Want to come along?

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 6

8/3/23 7:31 PM

My park to playa is a path that wakes with the waves of traffic.

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the Good morning, path!finished book.

Who had a pine cone breakfast? A peeking pocket gopher? A sprinting lizard? It’s a ground squirrel collecting pine nuts. Who else is here?

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 7

8/3/23 7:31 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 8

8/3/23 7:31 PM

Look! A bunny. Desert cottontail. Our eyes lock. Time stops. Then a helicopter flutters by and WHOOSH, it’s gone. But not forgotten.

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 9

8/3/23 7:31 PM

My park to playa is a playground, where everyone comes to celebrate my birthday! Are the hovering hummingbirds invited?

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 10

8/3/23 7:31 PM

We whack whack whack until the piñata . . . CRACKS!

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 11

8/3/23 7:31 PM

Let’s trade our treasures— prickly sycamore seed balls. Rattling dried carob pods. Minty buttons from a eucalyptus tree. Happy birthday to me!

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 12

8/3/23 7:31 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 13

8/3/23 7:31 PM

My park to playa is a hill on top of the whole town, twinkling under the hot noon sun.

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 14

8/3/23 7:32 PM

We spot downtown’s towers and follow a snaking train to the sparkling Pacific Ocean. A kestrel swoops in a circle, riding warm wind.

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

Should we blow a wish? Dandelion seeds disappear somewhere over an everlasting rainbow.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 15

8/3/23 7:32 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

We step down the steep stone steps,

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 16

8/3/23 7:32 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

then share five dollars of fruit, drenched in lime and spices. Our wishes granted. MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 17

8/3/23 7:32 PM

My park to playa is a bike path, fast and flat, at twilight. Why are the geese honking and squawking? We pump up the hill, breathless, then coast the concrete creek. Murals pass in a blurred flash. Wind roars. We are free.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 18

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

8/3/23 7:32 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 19

8/3/23 7:32 PM

My park to playa is a trail that ends at a beach where the moon glows huge. We breathe in briny air, cuddled in a moist marine hug. Can we count the one, two, three stars in Orion’s Belt?

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 20

8/3/23 7:32 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 21

8/3/23 7:32 PM

Grandpa grabs the bucket, and we see the first glimmer in his beam. The waves swish with silver fish. Grunion run!

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 22

8/3/23 7:32 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 23

8/3/23 7:32 PM

My park to playa is possums and coyotes, swings and slides, buses and billboards, poppies, snakes, and butterflies, hikers and bikers, bobbing oil wells, sunsets over mountains pulsing with veins of red and white lights, a rainbow-glow Ferris wheel perched on a pier . . .

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 24

8/3/23 7:32 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 25

8/3/23 7:32 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 26

8/3/23 7:32 PM

In our town there’s a trail that connects us all. My park to playa This is an advance, uncorrected proof. is yours, Not for resale, duplication, or too. Ours.without reposting. Please do not quote comparison to the finished book. Goodnight, trail! See you tomorrow.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 27

8/3/23 7:33 PM

Wha

t’s yo u

r park

y n i to playa l i ? Is there a tra

n, too? Go explore! w o t ur

AUTHOR’S NOTE I grew up and currently live in Los Angeles. For the last ten years, I have hiked up the steep hill at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook many times a week. Then one day, I realized the path doesn’t stop at the top . . . it keeps going down the other side. As I ventured down with my family and dog, it felt like I had wandered into a secret land, down a wild, meandering path dotted with murals and views of the glimmering towers of downtown LA in the distance, conjuring the Emerald City of Oz. What was this? A learning garden inviting you to pick a snack from its trees? What was this? A fun bridge to skip across busy La Cienega? And on the other side . . . a sprawling park filled with even more wonders! The adventures to be found in my very own urban backyard were thrilling. No need to pack and go to the airport to feel like a nature explorer—I could grab a water bottle and get to all of it by foot, close to my front door in Culver City! The further I explored, the more I learned about the thirteen-mile Park to Playa Trail, a twenty-year endeavor to connect the Stocker Corridor, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Blair Hills, Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Culver City Park, and Ballona Creek Bike Path, along with the Stoneview Nature Center. The trail is an incredible project completed by public officials who were committed to introducing trails that would connect people to the outdoors—and to each other. As I researched this story, I went to neighborhoods isgreetings an advance, I had never heard of andThis exchanged with all differentuncorrected types of people. While weproof. were all unique, we all had something in common: enjoying our parks and trails. Not for resale, duplication, or

reposting. Please do not quote without

I hope this story inspires you to find adventure where you live. Are there trails to hike or bike? Is there a park you didn’t even know comparison to fallen theseedpods finished book. existed? A walk around your block with fresh eyes, finding or spotting a butterfly, can help you see your environment through a new perspective. Even in the densest urban city—nature is all around. And so is your community. Go outside and explore it all! www.alltrails.com www.railstotrails.org www.sierraclub.org/get-outside www.audubon.org/about/audubon-near-you www.findyourpark.com/park-finder

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 28

8/3/23 7:33 PM

Critters and curiosities found on the trail in this book POCKET GOPHER Pocket gophers have fur-lined pouches in their cheeks that are used to store food as they scour the land looking for tasty snacks. They live in burrows underground—if you are lucky, you might see one pop up to say hello! DESERT COTTONTAIL Although desert cottontails look very similar to regular rabbits, they have easily recognizable fluffy, white tails that look like balls of cotton—so recognizable that these little bunnies were named after them. Desert cottontails can run at a speed of up to twenty miles per hour, zigzagging to escape predators.

ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD These colorful birds, found year-round in California, are named after a nineteenth-century French duchess, Anna Masséna. Did you know that a flock of hummingbirds is called a “bouquet” or a “shimmer”? AMERICAN KESTREL A member of the falcon family, American kestrels have incredibly sharp eyesight and can hover in the air when hunting for prey. Although that may make them sound scary, the average American kestrel only weighs about 7.5 ounces—about the same weight as a softball. So don’t worry— unless you’re a mouse! CANADA GOOSE Canada geese commute between their roosting and feeding areas at dawn and dusk, honking and squawking to each other as they fly just above the rooftops in small groups. While geese in some other parts of the world migrate far distances seasonally, Canada geese can be found in Southern California year-round.

SYCAMORE SEED BALLS Sycamore trees keep their seeds safe in spiky spheres. While sycamores use these seed balls to create new trees, humans tend to use them for craft projects and holiday ornaments. Have you ever found This one out on a walk?is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or GRUNION CAROB PODS Every spring and summer, little fish called reposting. Please do not quote without The edible fruit of the carob tree, carob grunions come to lay eggs on beaches at night, comparison to the finished book. pods are often dried, powdered, then used a few days after the full moon or new moon. This as a chocolate alternative in some healthis called a “grunion run,” and people who live in food products. Next time you find one, Southern and Baja California use flashlights to shake it—it’s a natural maraca! watch this spectacular sight and are allowed to fish for them with buckets on certain nights. EUCALYPTUS BUTTON Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia ORION’S BELT and Tasmania. The seeds of the eucalyptus Orion’s Belt is part of the Orion constellation and are surrounded by tiny wood-like pods that consists of three remarkably bright stars that can look remarkably like buttons. Do you like often be spotted even in cities that don’t have the minty smell of eucalyptus? Eucalyptus truly dark skies at night. Ancient people thought oil is used in some medicines to help with the Orion constellation resembled a hunter breathing and clearing congestion. holding a weapon, with the three stars at the center looking like his belt.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 29

8/3/23 7:33 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 30

8/3/23 7:33 PM

This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.

MY PARK TO PLAYA_rtp.indd 31

8/3/23 7:33 PM