Redbery Books

Lise Lunge-Larson, award-winning author and storyteller, will be back by popular demand for a storytelling program at Redbery Books on Friday, February 26 at 10:30 a.m. Her book, The Race of the Birkebeiners is the story of the Birkebeiners, the "birchleggers," who saved the infant Prince Hakon by skiing across the mountains of Norway in the dead of winter in 1206. It is a story of bravery and tenderness. It is also the story that gave the name to "The Birkie" cross-country ski race that has been skied in northern Wisconsin since 1973.

Lise was born in Norway "with skis on her feet — like all Norwegian babies." She came to the United States on a scholarship to attend Augsburg College. She had planned to stay for a year and return to Norway, but she ended up falling in love — both with her husband and with children's literature — and now lives in Duluth, Minn. She is passionate about stories and storytelling.

"By living a life immersed in great stories, children will see that they have the resources needed to solve life's struggles,” she said. “And, while listening to these stories, children can rest for a while in a world that mirrors their own, full of magic and the possibility of greatness that lies within the human heart."

Lunge-Larson will be in the Cable area to ski on the day of the American Birkebeiner and loves the opportunity to share her stories the day before the race. Children and adults typically sit spellbound and truly enjoy her sharing her gifts. Books will be available for signing.

The Hidden Folk: Stories of Fairies, Dwarves, Selkies, and Other Secret Beings (Hardcover)

By Lise Lunge-Larsen, Beth Krommes

$18.00

ISBN-13: 9780618174959
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 08/01/2004

Selkies, fairies, gnomes, hill folk, river sprites--do you believe in them? Perhaps among the flowers, beside a mountain, or near deep waters you've caught a glimpse, once or twice, of what you thought might be the silvery shadow of a dwarf, or a hint of a fairy's wing, or the tail of the water horse. Or was it just the odd light of dusk or dawn playing tricks? As Lise Lunge-Larsen's magical, timeless stories reveal and Beth Krommes's enchanting scratchboard illustrations capture, the hidden folk are there, all right: you just have to know where--and how--to look.

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The Race of the Birkebeiners (Paperback)

By Lise Lunge-Larsen, Mary Azarian

$6.95

ISBN-13: 9780618915996
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), 10/01/2007

"Engaging . . . Azarian's finely detailed woodcut illustrations, hand-tinted with watercolors, capture the serene snow-covered landscape. . . . In direct and compelling prose, Lunge-Larsen recounts how the two Birkebeiners most renowned for their skiing ability forge ahead."--Publishers Weekly, starred review 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 . . . This is a story of the Birkebeiners and how they saved the infant Prince Hakon by skiing across the mountains in the dead of winter. It is an untold story of bravery and tenderness.

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THE Adventure of Thor the Thunder God (Hardcover)

By Jim Madsen, Lise Lunge-Larsen

$19.95

ISBN-13: 9780618473014
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 06/01/2007

Told and retold often and with great affection, stories about Thor, the biggest and mightiest of the Norse gods, have been around since the days of the Vikings. Here, illustrated with high drama and written with humor and skill, are ancient stories made accessible and fun. Full color.

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