You must read The Mighty Lalouche, written by Matthew Olshan and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
Laloche is a postman with nimble hands, fast legs and strong arms. He lives in Paris with his beloved finch, Geneviève. When he loses his job to modern technology, he is desperate to find a job that will keep Geneviève in the manner to which she has become accustomed. Then one day he sees a sign asking 3 very important questions:
ARE YOU NUMBLE?
ARE YOU FAST?
ARE YOU STRONG?
And thus, Lalouche becomes a sparring partner at a boxing club, even though he is small and rather bony. The mayhem he cause is the wring is sensational as is the message about doing what you love.
The illustrations are knockouts! Sophie Blackall has completely captured France during the Third Republic. The details as he adds are exquisite. You can see how she did it at her blog: Sophie Blackall.
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