Moominland Midwinter (Moomintroll Series) [Paperback]

Tove Jansson (Author, Illustrator), Thomas Warburton (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Moomintroll Series

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Will hook readers of all ages." --Publishers Weekly

Language Notes

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374453039
• ISBN-13: 978-0374453039
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #633,681 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.)