Customer Reviews

Moominsummer Madness

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I discovered this book while rummaging through a flea market bookshelf 5 years ago. I had never heard of Jansson or the Moomins, but was looking for something to read to my daughter, who was then 6. With nothing more than an interesting cover illustration to recommend it, I took a 10cent gamble.

Within the first 10 pages I realized that I had stumbled onto something quite remarkable, by the middle of the book both my daughter and I were engulfed in Moominland, and by the end I went out to scour bookshelves and web sites to get my hands on all the other Moomin books.

Quite simply, this series (and this book in particular) ranks with Winnie-the-Pooh and the Alice books as the truest, wisest, funniest, and most beautiful books for kids ever written. Tove Jannson has created a world populated with myriad creatures possessing a variety and depth of character unrealized in any other children's series I can think of, and rarely reached in adult fiction.

Of particular note are her numerous and varied female characters, unheard of in American and English children's lit...Little My is brash, determined, unrepentant, and spoiling for a good fight. Moominmamma is warm and nurturing without ever being sappy or sentimental. Long sufering Misabel looks only at the bluer side of life and relishes a good cry. The Snork Maiden is vain and frivolous. Emma is cantankerous, crochety, and uninterested in changing to suit anyone else's agenda. How many other books can you read to a young girl with that variety of female characters? And that's just the beginning of the list. The male characters are equally as varied, fallible, goofy, and complex.

Character aside, Jansson's sense of adventure, wild imagination, bleak Scandinavian humor, and peaceful world view make these books a marvel to read. Her illustrations are gorgeous, plentiful, and a perfect compliment to her writing.

My daughter is 11 now and doesn't require a parent to read to her anymore, yet she still asks to hear the Moomin books read aloud.

My advice...give Harry Potter a rest, and treat yourself and family to real classic children's lit. You won't be sorry. And if you like this one, Moominland Midwinter and Comet in Moominland are great next choices.

The Moomin books are extremely unique in the realm of children's literature. They are clean, endearing, thoughtful, a little dark, and always utterly enchanting. I am in high school now, and I still love to read these books.

I first recieved a copy of Finn Family Moomintroll from an aunt who read and loved them in HER childhood, spent in Japan. I devoured it, and promptly begged my mother to find more. Now, several years later, I am still held spellbound by these books. They are quirky, charming, full of clever witticisms and simple, wonderful turns of phrase, and are among the many hidden gems which so many cynical youngsters will scorn for lack of blood.

This book, though contains plenty of fun and even a little revenge (provided by Snufkin, of course,) but of course the characters are forever polite. Better yet, they set a good example for kids without shoving sticky-sweet morals down their throats. In addition, by setting the story around a theatre - which the Moomin family knows absolutely nothing about - Jansson gives the reader a humorous edge over the characters, which helps keep the story moving and the reader amused.

These books should be introduced to young, thoughtful children, older, shy children, college students, people going through mid-life crises, and/or those in rest homes. They are to be read in a comfy chair before a fire on a gray, rainy day, or with the snow coming down and a mug of cocoa. These books are only for those who have open, quiet minds, and for people ready to be enchanted and amazed.

I received this book as a Christmas present in the early 50s from a Finnish family whom my mother helped through the hard times of WWII and after with her version of CARE packages.

Moominsummer Madness became my favorite of all my books--read until the red hardboard cover faded to pink and the binding frayed. My personal favorite interaction is Moomintroll and the Fillyjonk at her hut in the spruce forest on Midsummer's Eve. When I first read it, I didn't have a clue what Midsummer was or what a spruce tree looked like, but I immediately resolved to have a life full of both as soon as I could escape from Eisenhowerian Oklahoma.

And I did just that.

I am reading this book to my kids aged 5 and 7. We already read "Finn Family Moomintroll" which I read and adored as a child. My criticism of "Moominsummer Madness" lies in its translation. I don't remember finding anything strange or difficult in "Finn Family..." but here I find that the English is often awkward, or unnecessarily difficult words are used. This is a shame! If you are looking for a Moomin book to read to your kids, maybe you should look first to those translated by Elizabeth Portch....

this book is wonderfull!! moomintroll,moominmamma,moominpappa,smaiden,emma, & the rest are so funny & extremely crazy!! i recomend it to anybody who is open minded & insane.

they dont just call it moominsummer medness...

Now here's a book I really love. I loved it as a child, and at 20 I still find it unique and very fascinating. Jansson's Moomin books are all great, but this one is the most adventurous and imaginative. The dreamy, mysterious atmosphere is something you wouldn't ever expect to encounter in a children's book. A true masterpiece.

How can you resist the stalwart wickedness of Little my, the dreamy Snufkin and a floating pantry?

I really enjoyed the Moominsummer Madness book. It was excelent. I really enjoyed the pictures they were adorable.

This is my second favorite Moomin chapter book( the favorite being "Moomin Midwinter", a trip to nostalgia for anyone grown up in the snow).
The book is a wonderful adventure where the Moomin family in good spirits makes the most of a flood which forces the folks in Moomin Valley out of their homes. They will take refuge in an abandoned theater and proceed to put on a play with the guidance of a grouchy theater rat, Emma. Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden get separated from the rest. Further interest is provided by Little My who also gets lost and is found by Snufkin. Snufkin has his own agenda of revenge against the Park Keeper but in the process he inherits the guardianship of 24 little woodies. Hilarity and mayhem ensue, with gentle humor -- and no violence! Also included are some Finnish midsummer traditions. Trademark Tove Jansson ink drawings add to the enjoyment.I'm sure that when the word is spread, these books will also become favorite reading, akin to A.A. Milne, here in the US.

It is such an excellent book, I plan to read it over and over again. I recommend it to everybody - children and adults alike (it was actually an adult who recommended it to me first!!) I'm going to make my mum read it too. It is a magical book and I now want to read all the moomin books. Please give it a try.