Blizzard's Robe ANNOTATION
A young girl living in a village in the cold, dark Arctic north makes a robe for the feared Blizzard, and as a reward he creates the Northern Lights.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Far to the north by the great Arctic Sea, where the winter sun barely rises above the horizon, live the People Who Fear the Winter Night. On the long winter nights the People huddle around their hearths, fearing visits from terrible Blizzard, who can destroy anything with its icy winds and snow.
Among the People lives a young girl named Teune -- the finest robemaker they have ever known. One night while Blizzard rages outside, the sparks from Teune's fire accidentally set fire to Blizzard's magnificent robe and consume it. But while the People Who Fear the Winter Night rejoice that Blizzard is no longer a threat, Teune sorrows to we Blizzard's mighty robe destroyed and sets out to make amends.
Robert Sabuda once again demonstrates his extraordinary artistic versatility in these magnificent batik illustrations, with details drawn from authentic folk motifs.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Sabuda adds yet another credit to the remarkable repertoire of media exhibited in his picture books, including the crisp paper engineering of The Christmas Alphabet and the intricate, simulated stained-glass illustrations of Arthur and the Sword. Appropriately and inventively using batik art for this tale of a robemaker, he employs a variegated palette that spans the deep blues and purples of the frozen North to the sizzling oranges and yellows of a blazing fire. Sabuda sets his folkloric tale "far to the north by the Great Arctic Sea," where the People Who Fear the Winter Night are so named for their dread of Blizzard, a godlike figure who appears during the perpetual darkness of deep winter with destructive icy winds and snow. The writing is as sure and elegant as the artwork: "If the sun did rise above the horizon, it was only for a brief time, like a great whale rising to the surface of the sea for a quick breath." Teune, a young robemaker, makes amends to Blizzard after inadvertently destroying his gorgeous frozen robe: she painstakingly stitches for him her most beautiful robe. In return, the deity gives Teune's people the Aurora Borealis which earns them a new name: "the People of the Northern Lights." Given Sabuda's deft manipulation of color, these lights are brilliant indeed. Ages 5-8. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Sabuda (Christmas Alphabet, 1994, etc.) illustrates this original tale of the origin of the northern lights with spread-filling, eye-catching batik art. Although her village is being terrorized by a brutal blizzard, when a young seamstress, Teune, accidentally destroys its robe, and therefore its power, she braves the anger of her people to create a beautiful replacement. In return, the blizzard leaves the sky full of dancing lights. Blizzard, depicted as a great scowling mask, swirls commandingly through marbled, multi-hued skies, but the robe, with its fur-trimmed, vividly-colored panels, and strong geometric designs, is the book's visual centerpiece, setting the stage for a glorious light show at the end. Matching striking illustrations to a plot in which the creative impulse must be served at the expense of both personal and public safety, Sabuda offers a story as provocative as it is mighty. (Picture book. 7-9)
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