Program Highlights
Big Read Kickoff & Book Giveaway at Chavez Library: A day of celebration, as the third annual Big Read in Stockton and San Joaquin County kicks off. This event begins at noon with the Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers, featuring actual working sled dogs. Learn how "dog drives" are carried out today and the astonishing dedication of these special animals. Their work ethic and equipment will be discussed. After the Dog Drivers presentation, children will take part in a wolf craft/art program in the Children's Room. After the craft, children will receive the book Balto, the legendary story of the part-husky/part-wolf sled dog that braved severe blizzard conditions to deliver antitoxin serum to a remote Alaskan village in 1925. Festivities surrounding the chosen book, Jack London's The Call of the Wild, continue with the Sacramento Banjo Band from 2-4 p.m. on Ola's Porch. The group plays 4-string banjos with clear melody supported by strummed chords, as one would expect to hear on a riverboat or in Dixieland jazz bands.
Saturday, April 17, 12:00 p.m., Cesar Chavez Central Library
"The Hairy Scary Travels of Mr. Wolf" Puppet Show: As part of the Library's Big Read program, several libraries will host a special puppet show for children. "The Hairy Scary Travels of Mr. Wolf" stars a wolf who takes issue with the way wolves are depicted in several classic children's stories. Children will enjoy seeing the wolf try to argue his side of the stories! After the puppet show, children will enjoy craft related activities.
Monday, April 19, 3:30 p.m., Escalon Branch Library
Thursday, April 29, 3:30 p.m., Ripon Branch Library
Thursday, May 6, 4:00 p.m., Tracy Branch Library
Wednesday, May 12, 6:00 p.m., Cesar Chavez Central Library
Asparagus Festival with the Stockton Arts Commission: Details on programs planned for The Big Read will be offered by the Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library throughout the three-day festival at the Stockton Arts Commission booth. Readers' Guides on The Call of the Wild will also be offered.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, April 23, 24 & 25, Downtown Stockton
Cinema and Literacy Day: The San Joaquin Film Society joins the Library in honoring The Call of the Wild and The Big Read with illuminating screenings of new, innovative, and celebrated feature and short films, along with guest directors and creative conversations. Books and Readers' Guides will be available to attendees. (Tickets and passes to be announced.)
Saturday, May 1, time TBD, Empire Theatre, 1825 Pacific Ave., Stockton
Author Simon Wood Presents "The Call of the Wild is Heard": In celebration of The Big Read, Simon Wood, a prolific Bay Area writer, will share his views on The Call of the Wild and the enduring popularity of Jack London.
Wednesday, May 5, 3:00 p.m., Linden Branch Library, 19059 E. Main St., Linden, CA
Saturday, May 15, 2:00 p.m., Tracy Branch Library, 20 E. Eaton Ave., Tracy, CA
Mountain Man Bob Shannon and Author Simon Wood discuss Jack London and Yukon Life: Charity Lodge No. 6, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Stockton Corral of Westerners will host this free event. Bob Shannon, a Stocktonian who appears as a Mountain Man for school and club educational programs, will speak on the rough Klondike life and display furs, bear claws, and weapons. Simon Wood, a prolific Bay Area writer, will share his views on The Call of the Wild and the enduring popularity of Jack London. Books and Readers' Guides will be available to attendees.
Wednesday, May 5, 7:00 p.m., Odd Fellows Hall, 1200 N. Center St., Stockton
"The Radical Jack London" Presentation by Jonah Raskin: The Sonoma State University professor, and editor of the book The Radical Jack London: Writings on War and Revolution, will give a lively discussion of London's "other side." The San Francisco Chronicle called the book "A near-perfect selection of Jack London's radical writings. All of London's important political tracts are here." Amazon.com adds: "Raskin lays out the social, economic, and political contexts of London's polemical writings and shows London to be America's leading revolutionary writer at the turn of the twentieth century." Copies of the The Call of the Wild, Readers' Guides, and other materials will be available to interested participants.
Saturday, May 22, 2:00 p.m., Cesar Chavez Central Library
"Call of the Wild: The Life of Jack London," by Live Oakes Educational Theater: The Big Read’s culminating event features a two-hour performance, during which actor/scholar Michael Oakes tells the greatest story Jack London ever wrote: his own life. From the age of nine, London toiled as a "wage-slave" factory worker, oyster pirate, sailor, writer, and rancher. In his 40 short years, London roamed the globe from the Klondike to the South Seas, and Asia. He twice ran for mayor of Oakland, and was recruited as a presidential candidate.
Saturday, May 29, 1:00 p.m., Stockton Civic Theatre, 2312 Rosemary Lane, Stockton, CA