Happy Again - (I Like to Read) by Igor Plohl

About the Book

Adapted from the picture book Lucas makes a comeback (New York: Holiday House, 2021), which was originally published in Slovenian in Maribor, Slovenia, by Zaloézba Pivec in 2014 under the title: Lev rogi najde sreéco.

Book Synopsis

Lucas fell, and now he lives with a disability. A Level G story about resilience that first graders can read on their own.

Lucas is a happy lion.
One day Lucas Falls.
Can Lucas be happy again?

When Lucas falls off a ladder, he hurts his spine and can't use his legs anymore. He can't stand on them and he can't walk on them. Through self-determination and with the love of friends and family, Lucas learns new ways to take care of himself and have fun.

With easy-to-read language and cheerful art, children can learn about physical disabilities while they grow their confidence as readers.

This book has been officially leveled by using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level GradientTM leveling system.

For early-to-mid first grade readers, Level G books feature more complex storylines than prior levels, and a wider variety of structure and punctuation. Illustrations offer support for decoding the more challenging vocabulary words introduced.

The award-winning I Like to Read(R) series focuses on guided reading levels A through G, based upon Fountas and Pinnell standards. Acclaimed author-illustrators--including winners of Caldecott, Theodor Seuss Geisel, and Coretta Scott King honors--create original, high quality illustrations that support comprehension of simple text and are fun for kids to read with parents, teachers, or on their own!

Review Quotes

★ "A much-needed book that humanizes the experience of becoming disabled in a gentle way and appropriate for young children."--School Library Journal, Starred Review

"The matter-of-fact text and Sonc's bright, appealingly childlike cartoon illustrations reassure readers that adaptations and support make it possible to thrive with a disability. . . . An upbeat introduction to coping with a disability."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

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.