The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • L1

OUTPUT: 17:09 USER: JVAUGHN BEEBROAD MASTER 06-26-02 PAGE: 1 SACBEE FAMILY 1 MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK INSIDE FAMILY HEALTH CORNER Learn how to make a soup to warm you this winter, and enter a contest to win a Game Boy Advance. Page L4 sacbee ly ins ide FAMILY HEALTH HEALTH That cup of joe pours on a carafe full of controversy, but the still out on effects. Page L8 By Don Bosley BEE STAFF WRITER he show was called Makea and once upon a Hilton certainly did. The deal was this: He would replace Monty Hall as host of the popular NBC game show. In exchange, he would some- times live on the fringes of his own family.

For about a year in the early he would leave his wife, Joni, and their four children behind in Los Angeles for a week at a time to shoot the program in Orlando, Fla. When he returned, he leave for the gro- cery store without Cassidy, then a toddler, throwing a tearful fit, believing his father was going away to the airport again. show was probably one of the highlights of my career money-wise, fame-wise, being on NBC network Hilton says. in a limo, in first class, and being treated like a king in Florida. But leaving my family and children behind to go off and do this thing, and when I come home like, you guys have got to let me I learned from The idea that someone would ask Hilton to write a book on fatherhood might have seemed far-fetched back then.

But it somehow seem so ridiculous a decade DADS, page L7 SNAPSHOTS Ardani Fairchild had a big trip to Iowa, meeting her great-grandmother, but the excitement was a bit much. Page L3 By Karen MacPherson PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE As the new year approaches, to look back at some of thebest books of 2002. These books, drawn from my reviews and reading over the past year, are per- sonal favorites. Some have won critical acclaim from other reviewers or a spot on the best-sellers list. Others gotten much attention at all.

All of them, however, are worth add- ing to your bookshelves. (Putnam, $16.99, ages 4-8) was inspired by the events of Sept. 11. But the book, written and illustrated by Maira Kalman, strictly focused on the events of that tragic day, and that adds considerably to its attractions. Instead, the book tells the story of a venerable New York City fireboat named the John J.

Harvey, which was revered in its 1930s heyday, fell into disuse and then was refurbished just in time to help control the fires at the World Trade Center buildings. a spectacular story, matched by vivid illustrations. Parents should preview the book because a couple of the illustrations showing the events of Sept. 11 pack an emotional wallop. Overall, though, is highly reassuring, offering both historical perspective and a memo- rable story.

another outstanding Sept. 11 book this one for older readers. Written by Mitch Frank, Sept. (Viking, $16.99, ages 12 up), this question-and-answer book looks at the roots of terrorism. book, which includes a number of photos, maps and a bibliography, also is a wonderful primer for adults.

been a decade since the last book about Fudge, the little terror who makes his older brother life miserable. In (Dutton, $15.99, ages 8-12), author Judy Blume details the latest adventures of the irrepressible Fudge, now 6 years old, and the long-suf- fering Peter, now a seventh-grader. embarrassing antics are bad enough, but things get even worse for Peter when some long-lost cousins show up and put on a performance at his school. In Blume once again demonstrates her talent for writing books that combine humor with reality. Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet who be- BOOKS, page L7 Bouquets to best books for kids Some good books for kids include, clockwise from top: on a and Slowly, Said the Hard body: Exercise taken to extremes COLUMNS L2 SCRAPBOOK L3 HEALTH L8 Dear Abby A wife takes a back seat to her mother-in-law, and driving her crazy.

Page L2 Former TV anchor Bob Hilton writes a handbook for busy dads looking to make weekends count Father time Sacramento Brian Baer Former Sacramento news anchor Bob Hilton is the author of Here he helps his 10-year-old daughter, Nicole, with her homework. By Tim Friend GANNETT NEWS SERVICE At 5:20 a.m. the sky is blackas night at a suburbanWashington, D.C., health club. Inside, 18 apparently normal men and women are limbering up for class. They seem to have a secret cama- raderie, the kind you find among people who share pain.

Ten minutes later, instructor Sean Burch, 32, bounds a bit too energetically into the room, hands clapping, red ponytail bobbing, and cranks up Led Zeppelin on the stereo system. he orders. The class obeys. Five minutes later Burch shouts: a rope! They jump to the beat of the music, increasing over the next 15 minutes to a demonic pace. Ropes blur as the music transitions to Marilyn Manson.

First a driving drum beat; then hissing lyrics, beautiful people. The beauti- ful people still only 5:50 a.m. The American Heart Association seems to think that exercise is 20 minutes on a treadmill three times a week. Burch calls the past 20 minutes a warm-up, and no one has broken a sweat. A newcomer gets a bad feeling.

is not your aerobics says Burch. At 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, he has 2.7 percent body fat and consumes 5,000 calories a day. For the next hour and 15 min- utes, Burch motivates the group through some unusual drills. No treadmills here. Aerobics? Pilates? Go next door.

This crowd and many thousands of other apparent masochists are redefining the American workout. Call it a bored-with-the-old-workout thing, or baby boomer denial or a post- Sept. 11 take-charge trend. What- ever, the bar on fitness has been raised. The creed: Go hard or go home.

The number of people choosing to go hard appears to be rising fast. Fitness instructors say classes similar in difficulty to the one Burch teaches are in high demand right along with pilates. A new survey of 45,000 fitness instructors by the American Council on Exer- cise (ACE) shows that extreme EXTREME, page L5 Section SUNDAY December 29, 2002.