Matthew Olshan

I'm particularly amused by the funny depictions of faces/teeth, and by the ingenious solution to avoid crash landing.

This is a charming and inventive tale of a scrawny postman in turnof-the-century Paris who becomes an unlikely boxing champion. The endpapers feature humorous cards of famous fictional boxers

picture book for older readers/readers with longer attention spans. I read this one today to a class of 4th graders and again to a class of 6th graders and both groups of kids seemed to enjoy it (one kid REALLY enjoyed it). It is a different story that doesn't seem too babyish, and interesting enough to keep an adult's attention. I did have to apologize for mispronouncing the french words (I keep trying to read impossible! in Spanish) but the kids never mind.

The Mighty Lalouche is a David and Goliath tale in a sense. Lalouche recently fired from his mailman position takes up boxing to pay rent, and despite the odds being against him he wins every fight. This book that even with insurmountable odds you can overcome them. Also teaches that strength is not everything, being clever and quick is just as important. All in all a fun story about a small, but resilient, man surviving in the late 1890's France.