The Blizzard's Robe [Hardcover]

Robert Sabuda (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

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.

Editorial Reviews

From 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 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-This Arctic pourquoi tale tells of the origin of the Northern Lights. Blizzard brings icy winds and terrorizes "the People Who Fear the Winter Night" by extinguishing the warmth and light of their hearths. Teune, a young robemaker, saves the tribe when the great fire she builds destroys Blizzard's robe and sends him crashing to the ground. Yet, in a dream, the felled terror speaks to her and asks for her help. In exchange, he promises to "honor your people with the greatest gift"-the Northern Lights. The full-page batik artwork creates a visual intensity that captures the urgency of the tribe's situation. It is the use of vibrant primary colors, reminiscent of Gerald McDermott's Arrow to the Sun (Viking, 1974), and the detail of the pictures that distinguish this book from Sabuda's previous work. This tale of survival and compassion, whether read aloud to young readers or alone by older ones, will warm the hearts of children and adults alike.
Tina Hudak, Takoma Park Maryland Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689319886
• ISBN-13: 978-0689319884
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ROBERT SABUDA is the co-creator of the first book in this series, ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS. And he is the force behind many stunning best-selling pop-up books, including America the Beautiful, Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey. MATTHEW REINHART is the co-creator of ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS. And he has created many other award-winning pop-up books, including the Young Naturalist's series, The Ark, Animal Opposites, and Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Spellbinding Story, March 10, 2001

By 

"sherrigold" (Medfield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blizzard's Robe (Hardcover)

I read this book to my daughter's second grade class (7 & 8 yr. olds) after a recent New England Blizzard. The beautiful, poetic words and colorful, intricate pictures mezmerized the class. The children asked that I continue to hold up the pictures after I had read each page so they could take in all the details of the drawings. The full page with the drawing of the Robe has only one sentence, but I held up the picture for at least 3 minutes! There is so much detail. The children gasped and cheered at certain points in the story and clapped when the book was finished. We all loved this book.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book for all ages, March 31, 2001

By 

Peter Lin (worcester, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blizzard's Robe (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my son and found it a joy to read myself. Too many books talk down to kids and over simplify the story. This book doesn't do that and communicates the story effectively. The artwork is intricate, filled with jewels of details and rich colors. I wish more books (children's and adult) were crafted with such love and care. I make a rule to only buy books that I would want to read myself for my child. This book is one to keep for the long run.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book, May 29, 2000

By 

"kicecil" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blizzard's Robe (Hardcover)

This book's magnificent art, done in batik, catches the eye first, but the story is equally powerful and lyrically written.

The People Who Fear the Winter Night fear Blizzard's terrible storms most of all. They rejoice when sparks from Teune the robemaker's fire destroy his robe and leave him powerless. Teune, however, feels only sadness. In a dream, Blizzard promises a great gift for her people if she will sew a new robe for him. Teune risks the anger of her people to do what she knows is right.

Nothing in the book indicates whether this is an original story or a retold folktale. Sabuda does use traditional folk motifs in the art.