Moominland Midwinter (Moomin books) [Paperback]

Tove Jansson (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Moomin books

This children's story is one of a series of books about the Moomins that blend magic, humour and adventure in the setting of the small, but ever-changing Moominvalley.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Moomin books make for both splendid bedtime read-alouds and solitary savoring.” —Wall Street Journal

“This book is a marvelous new look at a time of year when many of us are huddling inside, trying to stay warm, and a good reminder during a hot summer of what to look forward to in a few short months.”    —The Green Man Review

“Timeless . . . Perfect for reading aloud . . . The magical adventures of the innocent Moomin family have the whimsical, surrealistic quality of Frank Baum’s Oz books.”   — Chicago Parent

“The Moomins originated in Finland, found their way to England, and have now, happily, crossed the Atlantic. One couldn’t ask for more engaging citizens.”   —The Christian Science Monitor

“The books . . . belong on the shelf next to classics like A Wrinkle in Time and The Phantom Tollbooth.”   —Entertainment Weekly

“A lost treasure now rediscovered . . . A surrealist masterpiece.”   —Neil Gaiman

“Jansson was a genius of a very subtle kind. These simple stories resonate with profound and complex emotions that are like nothing else in literature for children or adults: intensely Nordic, and completely universal.”   —Philip Pullman

“Tove Jansson is undoubtedly one of the greatest children’s writers there has ever been. She has the extraordinary gift of writing books that are very clearly for children, but can also be enjoyed when the child, like me, is over sixty and can still find new pleasures with the insights that come from adulthood.”   —Sir Terry Pratchett

“Clever, gentle, witty, and completely engrossing.”   —Jeff Smith, author of Bone

“[Tove Jansson] is a master.”  —The Times Literary Supplement (London)

“The most original works for children to be published since the Pooh books, and possibly, since Alice.”   —Saturday Review

“You will declare yourself a citizen of Moominvalley and call the stories your own—the Moomin world is that compelling.”   —Riverbank Review

“It’s not just Tove Jansson’s wonderfully strange fairytale world that so appeals but also her beautiful line work and exquisite sense of design.”  —Lauren Child

“[Jansson was] a whiz of tomfoolery who was also a profound guide to the human heart.”  —Shelley Jackson, LA Weekly

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Finnish --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: A & C Black (Childrens books) (February 24, 1994)
• ISBN-10: 0713639806
• ISBN-13: 978-0713639803
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,927,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave New World, November 12, 2001

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moominland Midwinter (Hardcover)

Moomintroll did what no other Moomin in the history of the world has ever done. He woke up in the middle of his Winter Sleep. He sees a world he never saw before. He is by turns frightened, lonely, persevering, and at times just a mite irritated. Thus begins this charming tale told with subtlety and grace by the talented Tove Jansson.

The creatures may be strange and wondrous, but somehow we feel as if we might have met them before someplace. Haven't we all known someone like the Hemulen: large, cheerful, energetic without a mean bone in his body who always wants us to enjoy the cold brisk air and strenuous sports with him-and why is it we don't exactly like him very well?

The descriptions of Moomin world are lovely and fanciful. Early spring clouds are "scatterbrained" rushing along. The Great Cold is beautiful, but ominous. This is a book for all ages. It saddens me my children are not young enough to be read to anymore. The Moomins, like Winnie the Pooh, are perfect read-alouds with assured discussions afterward.

A lovely book. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly good, January 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Moominland Midwinter (Moomintroll Series) (Paperback)

An imcomporable masterpiece of quiet, subtle children's literature, perhaps only equalled by other books in the series such as "Moominpappa at Sea" or the inexplicably out of print "Moominvalley in November." A perfect read for winter, embodying both its beauty and loneliness, and the way in which good souls can muddle through it, flaws and all. Sophisticated, sensitive children will most appreciate this unique world.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle and wonderful, February 19, 2003

By 

kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moominland Midwinter (Moomintroll Series) (Paperback)

Moomintrolls usually sleep through the long winter, but when the moon shines upon him, Moomintroll awakes one January to discover an alien world of cold and snow while the rest of his family sleeps on. (Moomintrolls are not trolls as we commonly think of them, but handsome little round fellows - see the picture on the cover. That's Moomintroll on the left in the brown coat.) At first he feels terribly alone in this strange season, but he soon discovers companions in the form of Too-Ticky, a sensible creature who has taken up residence in the bathing house, and Little My, a devil-may-care little critter known from other Moomin books in the series. Alongside these friends Moomintroll faces the winter, with its freezing cold blasts, sledding on tea trays, equinox bonfires, ice fishing, and blizzards that promise spring. He soon discovers that the winter landscape is full of lonely, oddball (and comical) creatures who are not around at other times of year, and does his best to shelter and entertain them in the Moominhouse. Like all of Jansson's fine Moomin books, this one astounds me with its ability to convey power and subtle emotion with just a few choice words. Her exquisite attention to the aspects of the season, as well as to the sensitive inner worlds of her characters, render this a masterpiece. (Its subtleties, both comic and deeper, might perhaps be appreciated by slightly offbeat children who like a little peace and quiet sometimes to be alone with their thoughts.)