Brave Irene

""Despite a raging snowstorm, Irene, a dress, maker's daughter, offers to deliver the duchess's newly finished ball gown...With sure writing and well-composed, riveting art, Steig keeps readers with Irene every step of the long way."

"Despite a raging snowstorm, Irene, a dressmaker's daughter, offers to deliver the duchess's newly finished ball gown. . . . With sure writing and well-composed, riveting art, Steig keeps readers with Irene every step of the long way."--"Booklist", Starred Review "One of Steig's simplest stories [and] one of his best, a tale that has the force of a legend."--"The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books" "William Steig's "Brave Irene" has the timeless quality of a classic fairy tale."--"Publishers Weekly"

"Brave Irene" is Irene Bobbin, the dressmaker's daughter. Her mother, Mrs. Bobbin, isn't feeling so well and can't possibly deliver the beautiful ball gown she's made for the duchess to wear that very evening. So plucky Irene volunteers to get the gown to the palace on time, in spite of the fierce snowstorm that's brewing-- quite an errand for a little girl.
But where there's a will, there's a way, as Irene proves in the danger-fraught adventure that follows. She must defy the wiles of the wicked wind, her most formidable opponent, and overcome many obstacles before she completes her mission. Surely, this winning heroine will inspire every child to cheer her on.
"Brave Irene" is a 1986 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year.