"I have been fascinated by animals ever since I can remember. I was delighted to hear that the French Bibliophile Society wanted me to illustrate "the bird" by Michelet. To carry out the two-year project, I visited the most beautiful zoos in Europe. I remember being inside the hummingbirds cage at the Antwerp zoo. The temperature reached 38 °C . the drawing session, in spite of the difficult working conditions, was fascinating..."