The power and prowess of ninja never seem to lose their appeal to young readers, especially boys. Blue Fingers, a suspenseful, action-packed coming-of-age story set in feudal Japan, offers an up-close look at this noble, fierce way of life. Through an odd twist of fate, a stubborn twelve-year-old boy named Koji is kidnapped by a secret ninja clan and taken to its hidden camp high in the mountains. He wants desperately to return home, but that is forbidden. He must forget his old life and become a ninja-or die. In this carefully researched and well-crafted novel, Koji must learn to survive in the mysterious and dangerous world of the ninja and fulfill a destiny far different from any he could have imagined. Afterword.

Ever since I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987 at the young age of seventeen, I had to learn to “depend” on others instead of being “Ms. Independent.” I would have never gotten through my exacerbations (attacks) as easily if it weren’t for my courageous, strong, and inspiring mom, Georgia, who helped me get through day-to-day life with the simple things we all take for granted in our lives. I remember back when I was in high school, thinking I was really heavy. All the kids used to laugh at me and call me names like “thunder thighs,” “lard ass,” “big ass” . . . you name it, they called me it. I was embarrassed when it was PE time, I didn’t want to put those skimpy little shorts on, you know the ones back in the ’80s that barely covered your butt cheeks. My thighs stuck out a mile, and I tried covering them up by tying a jacket or shirt around my waste so it would hang over my thighs. I couldn’t run easily because of my weight and asthma. The other kids used to tease me and laugh at me, and I felt like such an outcast. I hated being me. I hated the fact I inherited the “fat” gene and that no matter what new diet I tried, I would lose a few pounds and put it right back on, plus some. During my “honeymoon” period (first six months after surgery) I had to learn a new eating “lifestyle.” It was definitely a learning process, that’s for sure. Once I was able to eat solid foods, I had to try different things to see what my new pouch would tolerate. My surgeons warned me that certain foods might cause “dumping,” which is rapid gastric emptying, also known as dumping syndrome. The total weight I actually lost was 155 pounds! Researchers are finding that 30 percent of weight loss surgery patients have stopped overeating but wind up acquiring a new compulsive disorder such as alcoholism, gambling addiction, compulsive shopping, drugs, promiscuity, or started smoking. Some psychologists describe it as a type of “addiction transfer,” an outcome of substance-abuse treatment where the patient swaps one compulsive behavior for another. The behavior has long been explained as a psychological phenomenon as patients seek new strategies for filling an inner void. Within one month of me having gastric bypass surgery, my endocrinologist asked me to come in for testing for the lumps in my neck. He referred me to a specialist who will conduct biopsies. When I went in to see my endo, she informed me that I have thyroid cancer (malignant) and I will have to have a surgery called a total thyroidectomy. On August 3, I saw my hematologist. He went over my blood work and informed me that my blood levels are low and that a blood transfusion would help me feel better. I would notice a difference within two to three days. He also told me my iron levels were extremely low and I will need to have Iron Infusions every day for the first week, then weekly. Then as time goes by, he’ll adjust how often I get the iron (based on my weekly lab results). My B-12 levels were also extremely low, so I will start B-12 shots weekly at first then go to monthly thereafter.

The classic Beginner Book is now available with delightful audio narration. A madcap band of dancing, prancing monkeys explain hands, fingers, and thumbs to beginning readers. Bright and Early Books are perfect for beginning beginner readers! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1968 with The Foot Book, Bright and Early Books use fewer and easier words than Beginner Books. Readers just starting to recognize words and sound out letters will love these short books with colorful illustrations. This ebook includes Read & Listen audio narration.

As everyone knows, nothing is sweeter than tiny baby fingers and chubby baby toes. . . . And here, from two of the most gifted picture-book creators of our time, is a celebration of baby fingers, baby toes, and the joy they--and the babies they belong to--bring to everyone, everywhere, all over the world This is a gorgeously simple picture book for very young children, and once you finish the rhythmic, rhyming text, all you'll want to do is go back to the beginning . . . and read it again The luminous watercolor illustrations of these roly-poly little ones from a variety of backgrounds are adorable, quirky, and true to life, right down to the wrinkles, dimples, and pudges in their completely squishable arms, legs, and tummies.

Clinical reference that takes an evidence-based approach to the physical examination. Updated to reflect the latest advances in the science of physical examination, and expanded to include many new topics.

The author of The Footnote reflects on scribes, scholars, and the work of publishing during the golden age of the book. From Francis Bacon to Barack Obama, thinkers and political leaders have denounced humanists as obsessively bookish and allergic to labor. In this celebration of bookmaking in all its messy and intricate detail, renowned historian Anthony Grafton invites us to see the scholars of early modern Europe as diligent workers. Meticulously illuminating the physical and mental labors that fostered the golden age of the book—the compiling of notebooks, copying and correction of texts and proofs, preparation of copy—he shows us how the exertions of scholars shaped influential books, treatises, and forgeries. Inky Fingers ranges widely, tracing the transformation of humanistic approaches to texts in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and examining the simultaneously sustaining and constraining effects of theological polemics on sixteenth-century scholars. Grafton draws new connections between humanistic traditions and intellectual innovations, textual learning and craft knowledge, manuscript and print. Above all, Grafton makes clear that the nitty-gritty of bookmaking has had a profound impact on the history of ideas—that the life of the mind depends on the work of the hands.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.