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. ( )

The basic plot of the book begins with the author introducing the character LaLouche, a postman/boxer. The setting of the book is in Paris, France. He was a postman who loved his job and had a nice little apartment, but he dreamt for a beautiful city view. His life was going great until suddenly he was laid off because the postal service bought new electric cars to deliver the mail. On the way home, he noticed a flyer advertising about a boxing club that pays cash. He knew nothing about boxing, but he needed money. So, LaLouche began boxing for a career even though he was a very tiny man. He beat the best of boxers from all over the area; he was the champ. Until the conclusion of the book reveals the post office wants LaLouche back because their new mail machine failed. He was so over joyed; he took the job back without hesitation because he loved his mail job. The conclusion makes the setting of the book very important because after he got what he always wanted, a beautiful city view. He was able to afford the same apartment, but an even better view because he rented the best apartment in the whole complex. The scenery of the first apartment compared to his final apartment were very different. The setting and scenery in the book depicted the images greatly. ( )

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The illustrations are rather colorful and detailed which is a nice feature. Another thing that stood out to me was that the book is about boxing, and so it includes pictures upon pictures of different fictitious boxers and their attributes. This would appeal to young male readers as they nearly resemble trading cards. The story itself is the average under dog hero tale which may or may not bore young readers. Another downside for young readers is that this book includes many difficult to pronounce names, which may discourage younger audiences. I think the authors purpose was to show how you don't have to be the biggest or strongest to win. ( )