Lift

My daughter has such fun with this book! Each night when we read it at bedtime, she looks under the flaps and giggles as if we were reading it for the very first time. I would definitely recommend this book to all parents of preschoolers.

Another charming and touching book from Mick Inkpen in which Wibbly Pig looks for his friend Pigley but only finds other interesting items in the garden. These items lead to more adventures before the two friends are re-united, and is sure to delight young lovers of lift-the-flap titles.

Over the past couple years, many people have gone out of their way to comment to me that Inside A Freight Train is one of their children's favorite books. The children get very excited when they see real cars that look like the ones in their book. The best review I've ever had, however, was from my two youngest children. Each of them discovered the book on their own (at about the age of two) while going through the books on their shelf. I'll never forget the look on my son's face as he proudly brought the book to me, wanting me to read it to him. Of course, he had no idea that I had written and illustrated it. Ever since that day, the train book has been his number one favorite book and he still has no idea that his mother had anything to do with it. (The only problem is that he finds brand new copies sometimes (waiting to be mailed out to someone) and thinks that these are his books,too!) The artwork is very straighforward because I have found that that is what young children prefer. All of the backgrounds are real places. Some of these places are here in central Pennsylvania. I actually climbed down into a tank car at a train junk yard to get pictures of the heating pipes. The lack of variety in composition (cars are all seen from the side) was due to the preference of the editor.

There is so much information on these pages. The pop up flaps are very useful. My son is taking a college anatomy course and it looks detailed enough for him as well as younger children. He is planning on teaching health, so I'm sure it will be very helpful for that also.

As a former teacher, I appreciated this simple, uncluttered book. Each page was dedicated to one letter, giving both the upper and lower cases. One large picture that began with the featured letter captured the majority of space, accompanied by one, two, or three smaller pictures that were covered with paper flaps for the child to uncover. The names of the objects were also written, either next to the large picture or on the cover of the flap. My daughter finds this book to be one of her favorites. Because the flaps are made of a reinforced paper and not cardboard, I suggest this book be read supervised with younger children in order to prolong the life of the flaps.

This is a great book to read to infants. The pull-tab system is much less vulnerable to rips than lift-the-flap, and the very simple story remains clever. A spin in the washing machine for Teddy is my favorite part.

I liked where he said this lady will float up in the air and they all shouted AHH.

I love this book! The illustrations are wonderful and realistic; the plot is simple but fun. As the kitten looks for a home, a host of different environments are visited, though none is appropriate until the end. Rest assured, this little kitten finds a happy ending! I have been reading this story to a 5-month-old, and already he enjoys it. He likes to reach for the flaps and try to work them himself. I can tell he will enjoy this one for years to come, if for nothing more than the pictures. (Growing up in a cat-filled house, he already loves kitties!)

This is a great book for pre-K or kindergarten kids. It explains Kwanzaa in simple language with rhymes that make it fun. The large shapes and bright intense colors appeal to kids this age. And the flaps are big, easy for little hands to grasp, and not easily torn. This is a book that was needed, so I'm glad to find it.

Lactate Lift-Off by Owen Anderson, former Runner's World columnist and current editor of Running Research News, is arguably the best book available on the subject of lactate threshold (LT) training as it applies to distance running. Clear, direct, and occasionally funny, Lactate Lift-Off covers a lot of ground for a slim volume of only 138 pages.

Anderson begins by offering the standard definition of LT and its relationship to running speed. He correctly reports that LT is the point at which lactate begins to accumulate in the blood in an amount greater than resting levels. This happens at a running speed that corresponds approximately to 15km pace. In other words, all running speeds slower than 15km pace are below LT. As your speed increases above 15km pace oxygen becomes increasing scarce, lactic acid is produced in your muscles and is removed to the bloodstream as lactate. (Note: Lactic acid and lactate are very similar, but not the same. However, in most scientific literature regarding LT, the two are considered synonymous.)

But what exactly is lactate? Anderson answers the question by first telling us what lactate is not: "Lactic acid doesn't produce burning sensations, it does not induce soreness, and it's not a form of metabolic garbage...." He further explains that "...lactic acid is produced by your body all the time, around the clock, even when you're at rest...." Then we're told what the compound really is: "During exercise, lactate is also an irreplaceable source of immediate energy for muscles and other tissues, so much so that enhancing your ability to process lactate can improve you race times rather dramatically." In other words, lactate is produced in the muscles, removed to the blood, and reused by other tissues in the body or returned to working muscles. This process of creation, removal, and reuse is known as the lactate shuttle. Hence, raising LT isn't just a matter of delaying lactate production, it's also a matter of clearing lactate from the blood when it appears.

It's an ironclad law of physiology that the further above LT you go, the sooner your exercise session will end. The obvious question, of course, is how do you improve LT. Anderson provides us with a bevy of workouts verified by recent research from exercise physiology labs around the world. Too numerous to list here (you'll have to read the book), most involve running at, above, or well above LT. This will be unwelcome news the junk-mileage crowd, who steadfastly cling to the notion that plodding endless miles will somehow make them faster. For the rest of us, the avalanche of scientific research produced since the late 1980s is clear and convincing. Intensity trumps volume. Speed matters at all distances. Maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) is nearly impossible to improve in experienced endurance athletes. LT, on the other hand, can be improved in almost everyone, sometimes dramatically. These are the sound scientific principles that animate the pen of Anderson and make Lactate Lift-Off truly valuable resource.