When they went into battle they wore no costly armor, just birchbark wrapped about 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 an 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. Read this book on a dark winter's night, next to a roaring fire, and imagine the long, could race of history's first famous skiers.

From the dust jacket