Lucas fell, and now he lives with a disability. A story of grit and resilience.
When Lucas falls off a ladder, he damages his spine and can't use his legs anymore. He can't stand on them and he can't walk on them.
Read about how, with self-determination as well as with the love of friends and family, Lucas can drive a car, play sports, and be a teacher again!
The author, Igor Plohl, used his own experiences as a paraplegic and as a teacher to speak to children about disability, resilience, and grit.
Igor Plohl (pronounced EE-gor PLAHL) was born and raised in Slovenia, where he teaches at a primary school and lectures extensively on physical disability and spinal cord injury. After falling from a ladder at the age of twenty-nine, he injured his spinal cord and became paraplegic. He shares his experience in an autobiographical book for adults and three children's books, including Lucas at the Paralympics, published by Holiday House in Summer 2021. You can learn more about Igor Plohl on his website: www.igor-plohl.info
Urska Stropnik Sonc graduated from the Faculty of Education in Maribor for book illustration. Her first picture book illustrations were published in 1997. Since then, she has illustrated more than 70 books. She lives with her husband and three sons in Velenje, Slovenia.
★ "Bright, cheery, child-friendly illustrations detail how life for someone with a spinal cord injury has to adjust and also how sometimes things are not always so easy for people with disabilities to maneuver. This book will spur on excellent conversations and provoke much thought and empathy."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
"the upbeat message that disability doesn’t mean helplessness comes through clearly, is applicable to readers of any age, and is nicely reinforced by a closing set of photos showing the author busy at home and on the road."—Booklist
"along with Šonc’s sunny cartoon illustrations, Plohl’s simple declarative sentences will reassure newly disabled readers in particular that independence is possible. The Slovenian author’s biography explains that, like Lucas, he became paraplegic after a ladder accident; color photos show him performing everyday activities. A gently encouraging tale of navigating disability." —Kirkus Reviews
Lucas fell, and now he lives with a disability. A story of grit and resilience.
When Lucas falls off a ladder, he damages his spine and can't use his legs anymore. He can't stand on them and he can't walk on them.
Read about how, with self-determination as well as with the love of friends and family, Lucas can drive a car, play sports, and be a teacher again!
The author, Igor Plohl, used his own experiences as a paraplegic and as a teacher to speak to children about disability, resilience, and grit.
Creators
Igor Plohl (pronounced EE-gor PLAHL) was born and raised in Slovenia, where he teaches at a primary school and lectures extensively on physical disability and spinal cord injury. After falling from a ladder at the age of twenty-nine, he injured his spinal cord and became paraplegic. He shares his experience in an autobiographical book for adults and three children's books, including Lucas at the Paralympics, published by Holiday House in Summer 2021. You can learn more about Igor Plohl on his website: www.igor-plohl.info
Urska Stropnik Sonc graduated from the Faculty of Education in Maribor for book illustration. Her first picture book illustrations were published in 1997. Since then, she has illustrated more than 70 books. She lives with her husband and three sons in Velenje, Slovenia.
★ "Bright, cheery, child-friendly illustrations detail how life for someone with a spinal cord injury has to adjust and also how sometimes things are not always so easy for people with disabilities to maneuver. This book will spur on excellent conversations and provoke much thought and empathy."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
"the upbeat message that disability doesn’t mean helplessness comes through clearly, is applicable to readers of any age, and is nicely reinforced by a closing set of photos showing the author busy at home and on the road."—Booklist
"along with Šonc’s sunny cartoon illustrations, Plohl’s simple declarative sentences will reassure newly disabled readers in particular that independence is possible. The Slovenian author’s biography explains that, like Lucas, he became paraplegic after a ladder accident; color photos show him performing everyday activities. A gently encouraging tale of navigating disability." —Kirkus Reviews
