The Race of the Birkebeiners — Lise Lunge-Larsen

When they went into battle they wore no costly armor, just birchbark wrapped around their legs, and so they were called Birkebeiners, which means �"Birchleggers.” It is the year 1206, and deep in the snow-covered mountains and valleys of Norway the fiercest warriors in the land struggle to ski a baby to safety. They race against the greed and inequity of the rich, against the very weather of Norway. They race as the only way to save a child prince and bring peace to their country.
Here is a true, untold story of both bravery and tenderness. Mary Azarian's strong, sure woodcuts capture the warmth and ruggedness of medieval life, while Lise Lunge-Larsen's dramatic telling is direct and mesmerizing.