The James Logan Courier

By Monica Amaral, staff writer

While nine-year-old Alexander Prucha's broken leg knitted together, his grandmother, Isabel D. Prucha, mother of Logan teacher Ken Prucha, wove together Alexander's Sock, a children's book based on the experience.


Alexander's Sock is about having to learn how to deal with the hardships of having a handicap, and how Alexander has to adapt his everyday life just to make having a cast easier.

"My mom's story is based on a series of conversations she had with Alexander over the phone while he had his cast on," Ken Prucha, a mathematics teacher, said. I think it was very good for Alexander because it gave him something to look forward to and made him feel like his time in a cast was not a complete drag."

In the beginning of the story, Alexander thinks having his leg broken might end up being a good thing, because it might get him some attention and help him become well-known at school. His first few days of school are like this, but after having his leg in the cast for too long, he begins to grow restless and realize how difficult life must be for those who have similar but permanent handicaps. Alexander begins to show more appreciation for the little things in life, and always has his family by his side to reassure him everything will be alright.

"My mom added some fiction to the circumstances surrounding the accident and how we all coped with it, but it is more or less accurate in discussing the difficulty we all face when something like this happens," said Ken Prucha. "Alexander's broken leg was a terrible accident, and as parents my wife and I are very grateful alexander made a full recovery. It is difficult to see your child experience such an accident, but with a lot of patience and love, we all made it through just fine, especially Alexander."

This book is well-written and easy to read. The author shows both child-like and realistic feelings in the
character, and the moral of this story is that you really do not know what you have until its gone.

"We take so many things for granted, and my mom's story shows this in an entertaining way." Prucha said. "I also like
the connection between the temporary nature of a broken leg and the permanent nature of those with physical disabilities, and the indirect message that we should appreciate what we have and respect what others do not."