Isaac's Laugh

JUAN IGNACIO PEÑA & MAR BLANCO

For Ignacio Jiménez; you dreamed of a thousand adventures, without realizing that you already had the greatest of all: your life. Our most heartfelt thanks for having brightened the lives of all of us who were at your side with your presence and constant smile.

- Juan Ignacio Peña To Abelardo, for having always dreamt of a better world, and for now being the star that shines in our hearts. You left so soon I didn’t have time to tell you, “Thank you for so much.” Quizás porque mi niñez sigue jugando en tu playa…

- Mar Blanco -

Text © Juan Ignacio Peña Illustrations © Mar Blanco This edition © 2014 Cuento de Luz SL Calle Claveles 10 | Urb Monteclaro | Pozuelo de Alarcón | 28223 | Madrid | Spain www.cuentodeluz.com Title in Spanish: La risa de Ignacio English translation by Jon Brokenbrow ISBN: 978-84-16078-40-0 Printed by Shanghai Chenxi Printing Co., Ltd. xxxx 2014, print number xxx All rights reserved

written by JUAN IGNACIO PEÑA

ILLUSTRATED BY MAR BLANCO

Isaac thought he had the best grandpa in the world, because he made up stories that helped him to forget about the illness that was stealing all of his curly blonde hair.

His favorite story was “Nuba,� because it was about a little boy who was the king of the land of laughter, where everyone told the funniest jokes.

But the little boy-king had a deadly enemy: The Lord of Noise, who hated happy creatures and was always making a terrible ruckus. He was determined to do away with laughter.

Isaac daydreamed about the kingdom of Nuba, especially when he was in the hospital. He loved the amazing stories his grandpa told him! Without realizing it, he smiled all the time.

On the morning of his birthday, Isaac woke up with a start. He was wearing his musketeer costume and floating in the clouds alongside a little man with red hair.

“Who are you?” Isaac asked.

“My name is Kam, and I’m not a bird, I’m not an angel, and I don’t run on batteries!”

Isaac laughed.

“You’re very strange! Last night I dreamed about a green creature with a yellow hat and a mouth like a piece of watermelon, who was laughing and laughing. But it wasn’t you.”

“Look behind you!” said the little man.

Hidden pages

Despite having plenty of reasons to be sad, there’s always a smile on Isaac’s face thanks to the incredible stories his grandpa tells him. He’s always dreaming about amazing places like Nuba, a kingdom where people are always happy. But unfortunately, there’s an enemy on the horizon in the land of laughter: the Lord of Noise, who threatens to destroy the happiness of the kingdom once and for all…

Isaac’s LAUGH is a poignant tale that celebrates the joy of living despite the hurdles we must overcome along the way, reminding us that fun and bravery can build a world full of love and hope.