Jansson, Tove Books

Finn Family Moomintroll (Moomintrolls)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

sweet imagination 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A little to my surprise my seven year old son loves these moomin books - To me they seem from another age [I remember them from my childhood] The moomin world is full of gentle humour and a cast of sweetly strange characters romping through the long summer days in a Finnish forest. Good for imaginative kids who like to imagine other worlds. My son loves Anime and films like "My Neighbour Totoro" and these books have that kind of sensibility

Hoopla-do about not much 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 5 people found this review helpful.

For me this book was a mess - disjointed, self indulgent, and self important, with so many characters it left my, and my childs head in a spin. Finally managed to struggle through it, but in hind-sight, the book had little that was coherent about it, and left me wishing we had read something else. Reading all these reviews makes me wonder who is writing them - the authors or the publishers?

Its complete tripe.

Editorial Review:

The Moomins, creatures always ready for adventure, find a magical hat that can change anything-or anyone-into something else!

Comet in Moominland (Moomintrolls)

Tove Jansson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Unmissable Finnish Wonderland 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Have you never read Tove Jansson's "Moominland" books? Just as soon as you've finished this review, shut down the computer, find copies and read them immediately. Read them, whether you're 8, 38 or 88.

Why is she so good? She created characters whom we recognise and believe in at once, even when they look like small white hippopotamuses, a rustic scarecrow or a bloated aardvark. They live in a world that is unpredictable, peculiar, higgledy-piggledy, wondrous, fragile and as real as a pile of bricks.

She is funny without trying and, like A.A. Milne, describes foibles and clashes that we have all witnessed. She can sustain a tone of child-like inconsequence, delight in the ordinary and lack of surprise at the utterly surprising, that only rare luminaries of children's writing (Lewis Carroll, Hugh Lofting) have ever managed.

And when she wants to, all of a sudden, she can shine a beam of pure poetry on the mystery, the loneliness, the terror, the strangeness of being alive. The Hattifatteners, part worm, part axolotl, part spook, who endlessly wander the world in a mob in quest of something unknown, and who become dangerous to touch during a thunderstorm, are one of the marvels of fiction.

Every title in the series should be read, but this is my favourite. If all of my books were about to be drowned in the deluge and I had a choice between rescuing this, or "War and Peace", or "Crime and Punishment", sorry Leo, sorry Fyodor, this is the one I would save.

Editorial Review:

When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley.

Moominsummer Madness (Moomintrolls)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Moominsummer Madness 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

It's midsummer--or should I say, Moominsummer--in Moominvalley, and the time for all sorts of madness! This story is so fun, refreshing, and hilarious! The Moomins remain as steady as ever.

It's a hot summer day when the volcano near Moominvalley starts acting up--spitting soot all over everyone and everything. Suddenly, the ground starts to shake--and then Moominvalley floods! With their classic imperturbability, the Moomins hop on a house that's floating downstream along with some friends. But this is no ordinary house, the Moomins soon find out--it is a theatre. And there are some rules about living in a theatre--especially one with a hidden occupant--the Moomins didn't know about. This book details their journey, the play they attempt to put on, the adventures Moomintroll and the Snork Maiden have while separated from the group, and, finally, a large bit of madness and the return home.

So very funny and adorable! I really love this series, for all it's too young for me.

Editorial Review:

A flood hits Moomin Valley and triggers a series of adventures for the Moomins.

Moominland Midwinter (Moomintrolls)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Book--Clumsy Translation 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This translation is very difficult to read out loud--and would be almost impossible for children to read on their own. Syntax is convoluted, diction is oddly stiff and formal, and the grammar isn't even always correct.

Even worse (and more confusing) this translator can't seem to keep his personal pronouns straight or even write in complete sentences. Take these two consecutive sentences, for example:

"I'm growing angry," said little My. "When, for once, one could've had some use for a sister." "Once, one" reads terribly--and the whole chunk is a fragment that messes up the rhythm of a would-be sentence. (The above quote was an entire paragraph, by the way. I haven't mislead by a partial quote.)

The Moomintroll books translated by Elizabeth Portch are delightful reads. I won't buy another Warburton translation again, though, no matter how badly I want another Moomintroll adventure.

Editorial Review:

Everyone knows that the Moomins sleep through the winter, but this year Moomintroll has woken up in January. After his initial shock at seeing his familiar haunts under the snow, Moomintroll discovers that winter is worth waking up for after all.

Tales from Moominvalley (Moomintrolls)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A real surprise 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I picked up this book because I thought I hadn't read it before, wanting to see the Moominvalley books through adult eyes - not to have my childhood memories of favourite books tarnished. As it turns out, I had read "Tales from Moominvalley" before (the fungus-covered granny was the trigger for my recollection), but I was really relieved to find that Tove Jansson's books are just as good as I remember - and there is, I think, even more for the adult to appreciate and enjoy than there is for the child.
I generally dislike the short story genre, but not when it's done like this. Every short story is simply that, a short story; not a contrived literary exercise with the obligatory "twist in the tail". Jansson's stories are charming little gems, full of wonderful moments and images, thought-provoking and touching. Her characters are often the lonely, the lost, and the troubled, and she makes you feel for them and understand them, without ever becoming ridiculous or sentimental. The tales about Snufkin and his tune and the Fillyjonk who believed in disasters are shining examples of this. But Jansson can write humour and happiness just as well, as the tales of the invisible child and the fir tree show.
I really can't speak highly enough of this book. Jansson's wonderful insight into people, her spare, deft prose, and her brilliant imagination make a great combination. Buy it for your children or for yourself.

Editorial Review:

In these nine delightfully funny stories, readers will discover how the Moomin family spend their first Christmas out of hibernation, how they save young Ninny from permanent invisibility, and what happens when Moomintroll catches the last dragon in the world.

Moominvalley in November (Moomintrolls)

Tove Jansson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Tove Jansson's Moomin characters and books are admired the world over. In the United States the series beginning with Finn Family Moomintroll (first published in English in 1945) has accumulated generations of fans. Since Farrar, Straus and Giroux began reissuing the books in 1989, grateful readers old and new have been thrilled to have the stories available again. At last the final installment is being published – oddly, the only book that features none of the Moomin family themselves, though it does take place at their house. There familiar characters converge – Snufkin, the Hemulen, Fillyjonk, and others – seeking out the Moomins' welcoming company, only to find them absent. All remain at the house, all have very different personalities that clash often, but something about their homey cohabitation during the icy winter changes each visitor in a gratifying way. As The Times Literary Supplement put it, Moominvalley in November is "possibly the cleverest of the Moomin books."

Moominpappa's Memoirs (Moomintrolls)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Magical Book 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

All of the books in this series are fantastic. They are poignant sweet and fascinating. I love the characters and the interactions between the characters. I read these first 26 years ago and have made sure they are easy to find every time I move. I still read them often.

A truly magical world 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Tove Jansson was a Swedish-speaking Finnish writer and illustrator who wrote many childrens books including the famous Moomin series. Here, the setting is Moominvalley which is basically the natural beauty and pristineness of Finland, populated by Moomins (who look like little hippos which stand upright and are fluffy) and a host of other weird and wonderful creatures. The action is mainly centred around the family with Moominpappa, Moominmamma and Moomintroll the kid. They set a tone for the whole series as Tove infused them and their whole universe with experiences of her own family which seem to have been a very bohemian, artistic, tolerant and warm lot. This makes the books great reading for kids from an early age as they invoke a wonderful sense of fun and silliness as well as acceptance and openmindedness.

One thing I remember from reading these as a kid is that the plot didn't really matter. In some books, it's hard to say exactly what happens. Rather, it is the atmosphere that I found the most important. In this book, Moominpappa writes his memoirs of his adventures when he ran away from home as a boy, and his encounters with creatures like an undignified prankster king.

A great series overall, filled with imagination, surrealism, fun and warmth.

Editorial Review:

When stricken with a severe cold, Moominpappa decides to set down an account of his eventful youth, which he shares chapter by chapter with Moomintroll, Sniff, and Snufkin.

Moominpappa at Sea (Moomintrolls)

Tove Jansson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Tove Jansson's guide to the family 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I first discovered this book at the age of about 12 or 13, already older than the average moomin reader, but having read most of the others. It was obvious that this was no ordinary moomin book, and neither was it strictly a children's book. In fact it is a masterly observation of family dynamics, mid life crises and the human condition, but mixed with a mysterious and fantastic magic that leads to spine tingling excitement and making one question how we know what is real.

Every psychology student has something to analyse in every character, and anyone who ever had a moment of doubt about the meaning of their life has something to ponder. What father with a teenage family would not relate to Moominpappa's melancholy, feeling that his life is without purpose now his family appear to be independent, his urge to be needed, to be able to protect them? What homesick traveller could not understand Moominmamma's longing for her garden, (and its magical transformation which you will have to read for yourselves). The description of her homesickness brings tears to the eyes. And what put-upon mother could not identify with her delight in being able to disappear from her family just long enough to stop them taking her for granted? The glimpses of the fond, but no longer passionate relationship between Moominmamma and Moominpappa, and Moominmamma's endless patience for Pappa's foibles, their need for their own roles, and his inability to understand her own needs says more about the maried state than plenty of far more learned texts. We will all be able to identify the same dynamics in our own families and relationships.

Meanwhile Moomintroll's adolescent emotional awakening must bring nostalgic memories of first love to we adult readers, but must surely mystify the average 8 year old. Younger children do not usually have a developed enough sense of other people's individuality to understand the complexities of what is driving the Moomin family to their peculiar dispersal.

The allegory of the frozen Groke could represent so much - I feel a thesis coming on - but I think represents how people get into a vicious cycle;cut off emotionally because no one interacts with them, and becoming ever more reclusive and antisocialin a vicious cycle. She makes us think about how we subconciously excuse ourselves for avoiding the lonely, scared, mentally ill, etc among us, for fear we may be "tainted" them.

Although I'm sure children will enjoy it at one level I recommend it highly to everyone, particularly if you are in a life crisis. I have lent it to nearly all my close friends and no one has yet not enjoyed it thoroughly.

Anyone who enjoyed this book should also enjoy Moominvalley in November with a similar selection of odd characters who we will all recognize among our own aquaintance.

Editorial Review:

When the Moomin family members need a change of scenery, they decide to take up residence in a lighthouse. As they discover their new home, the family also discover surprising, and wonderfully funny, new things about themselves.

The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My (Sort of Children's Classics)

Tove Jansson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

It's a crying shame... 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 20 people found this review helpful.

...these books are not known in this country. I, for one, brought my Moomin book with me from the former Soviet Union, and I fully intend to indoctrinate my future children into the Moomin Religion (even if they will have to learn Russian just for that). Tove Jahsson (who passed away last year, sadly) created a wonderful world, full of adorable and memorable characters.

The Moomins are...well, G-d knows what they are. They are little hyppopotamus-looking cute things that walk on their hind legs, live in the picturesquee little valley (and in houses, of course), do all the things that humans do (or that humans do in children's imagination) and wear hats. Sometimes. In fact, there is even a story about a magic hat somewhere. But I digress.

Muumi-Troll, the protagonist, is your average kid. Or a teenager. He has a Muumi-Mother, and Muumi-Father, and two best friends: Sniff (who looks like a rat and is a terrible coward--but always manages to overcome it at the last possible moment) and Snusmumrik (who looks like a duck and is a Traveler). He has a love interest, Froeken (Miss) Snork (Snorks are similar to Moomins, except that their color changes together with their mood), who has an obnoxious brother, you guessed it, Snork. There are also Hemul, who, like all Hemulen, wears his aunt's old dress (don't ask), and the Muskrat (I think that's what it is). There are predicaments and dangers and wonerful adventures.

The Moomins are known--and beloved--in all of teh world, from their native Finland, to Russia to Japan. Hopefully, the States will come around at some point--and Harry Potter (no offense, I love HP) will tremble in his shoes.

Editorial Review:

The magic of Tove Jansson's bestselling "Moomin" picture book has been re-crafted in English to launch "Sort of Children's Classics" (for readers from four to infinity). Follow Moomin's adventures in verse, through amazing full colour, cut-out pages as he helps Mymble find her little sister My.

Who Will Comfort Toffle?: A Tale of Moomin Valley

Tove Jansson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Wistfully beautiful story of adversity overcome 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Tove Jansson's Moomin books are a treasure trove of wistful, slightly introspective fantasy characters for readers 8-14 years old. "Toffle" is an ideal introduction, combining some of the same characters (and Jansson's trademark sense of childhood's strange dislocating tenor) with beautiful, wild fullpage illustrations. The story is told in rhyme that (in translation anyway) sometimes slips into mere singsong.

Toffle runs away from home but finds his own bravery when a bottle washes up on shore with a plea for help from another child, Miffle. There is a happy ending, of course, but what stays with you is Toffle's alienation from the adult world and his overcoming of those fears.

Editorial Review:

Who Will Comfort Toffle? A tale of Moomin Valley sees Toffle driven from his home by the frightening noises of the forest. Too shy, at first, to approach the many colourful Moomin characters he passes along the way, he gains confidence by discovering a scared and lonely Miffle who needs his help. Toffle's quest to save Miffle from the dreadful Groke is an inspiring tale that every child (and many adults) are sure to identify with.