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 & illustrator Elise Gravel tells the true story of Antonio Barichievich the larger-than-life Montreal strongman who had muscles as big as his heart Meet the Author In kindergarten Elise was popular because she could draw princesses with long spiral curls Then in high school girls asked her to draw their dream guys & she became very talented at drawing muscles & chest hair which came in handy for this book One of Elise&s favorite authors is Roald Dahl He got her interested in unusual people & animals--anyone who is strange different or funny In her hometown of Montreal everyone knew & loved the great Antonio the gentle giant who lived outside the donut shop He claimed to have been one of the strongest men in the world & to be able to talk to aliens with his braids After his death it was revealed that many of Antonio&s wild stories were true he had a letter from President Bill Clinton & photos of himself with celebrities like Liza Minnelli Sophia Loren & Johnny Carson