What made the Great Antonio so great? He weighed as much as a horse! He once wrestled a bear. He could devour twenty-five roasted chickens at one sitting. In this whimsical book, beloved author and illustrator Elise Gravel tells the true story of Antonio Barichievich, the larger-than-life Montreal strongman who had muscles as big as his heart.

ELISE GRAVEL a écrit et illustré une trentaine d’albums jeunesse. L’auteure use d’un humour mordant pour exprimer ses vues et éveiller le sens critique de ses jeunes lecteurs. En 2022, Elise a remporté le prix Vicky Metclaf, qui souligne le travail d’un auteur ou d’une auteure jeunesse. Elle a également reçu le prix du Gouverneur général en 2012 dans la catégorie illustrations pour son livre La clé à molette, de même que le prix Droits et Libertés et des droits de la jeunesse.

ELISE GRAVEL has won a Governor General's Award for illustration, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, the Rights and Freedoms Award from the Quebec Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, two Applied Arts Awards and a Grafika Award. She also was short-listed for Mr. Christie's Book Award. She has written and illustrated over 30 books for children in both French and English including Not Me (Pas moi), Everybody! (Tout le monde! and It's My Body! (C'est mon corps!). Elise lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Elise Gravel's profile page

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"A tribute as heartfelt as it is joyous” -Kirkus ReviewsSTARRED REVIEW

"Gravel gives us a funny, very kid-friendly story about a gentle giant, someone who twirled children around on his braids, turning himself into a human merry-go-round for their amusement." -School Library Journal Good Comics for Kids

"What’s to be made of lives that don’t go the way they were supposed to? Gravel shows that they’re worth paying attention to." -Publishers Weekly

"Kids will be taken by this larger-than-life figure, who is still beloved in Montreal, the city the Great Antonio called home." -Booklist

"Gravel’s cartoonish art is graphically sophisticated." -Montreal Gazette

"In this innovative portrait—not quite a biography yet not quite a legend—Gravel affectionately places Antonio in the Paul Bunyan tradition of mighty men." -Horn Book Magazine

"A modern tale for a new audience." -Mom Read It

Elizabeth Bird's A Fuse #8 Production 2016 Fictionalized Non-Fiction for Kids

"A tribute as heartfelt as it is joyous” -Kirkus ReviewsSTARRED REVIEW

"Gravel gives us a funny, very kid-friendly story about a gentle giant, someone who twirled children around on his braids, turning himself into a human merry-go-round for their amusement." -School Library Journal Good Comics for Kids

"What’s to be made of lives that don’t go the way they were supposed to? Gravel shows that they’re worth paying attention to." -Publishers Weekly

"Kids will be taken by this larger-than-life figure, who is still beloved in Montreal, the city the Great Antonio called home." -Booklist

"Gravel’s cartoonish art is graphically sophisticated." -Montreal Gazette

"In this innovative portrait?not quite a biography yet not quite a legend?Gravel affectionately places Antonio in the Paul Bunyan tradition of mighty men." -Horn Book Magazine

"A modern tale for a new audience." -Mom Read It