The Race of the Birkebeiners
Imagine the bravest, fiercest Norwegian warriors that ever lived,  carrying a baby prince across blizzard-wracked mountains to save his life.  Picture the babe's mother undergoing a cruel, brutal test to prove her son is  indeed the bona fide prince of Norway. A fairy tale? No, this is a true story,  based on the account written in 1264 by Sturla Tordsson, about the Middle Ages'  most powerful king during what are known as Norway's Golden Years.  Norwegian-born author Lise Lunge-Larsen tells the story of this king's  miraculous adventure in infancy, while woodcut artist Mary Azarian stunningly  depicts the heroism of the birch-bark armored peasant warriors, the  Birkebeiners.Mary Azarian was awarded the Caldecott Medal for her lovely woodcut  illustrations inSnowflake  Bentley. Lunge-Larsen is the award-winning author ofThe Troll with No Heart in His  BodyandThe Legend of  the Lady Slipper. (Ages 4 and older)--Emilie Coulter