Who Will Comfort Toffle? [Hardcover]

Tove Jansson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1969

Lonely and frightened Toffle remains unnoticed and alone in the world until he finds a frightened girl who needs comforting.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In a children's book there must be a path where the author stands still and the child walks on. A threat or a wonder that is never explained. A face that never shows itself entire." (Tove Jansson) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, Swedish (translation)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Benny Hardouin; New impression edition (August 1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051013081X
• ISBN-13: 978-0510130817
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,767,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

TOVE JANSSON (1914-2001) is revered around the world as one of the foremost children's authors of the twentieth century for her illustrated Moomin chapter books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wistfully beautiful story of adversity overcome, June 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Who Will Comfort Toffle? (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miniature Magic, December 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Who Will Comfort Toffle? (Hardcover)

Toffle is small, he's scared and the world is big. But there is always someone somewhere who is (or feels) smaller and who needs you.
I read this book as a child (in original Swedish) and just thinking of it (I'm 40 by now) brings tears in my eyes and warmth into my heart. This book will be a lifetime companion to any person, adult or child,who has ever felt small, alone and frightened.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Will Comfort Toffle, December 29, 2010

By 

P.K. Dyer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Who Will Comfort Toffle?: A Tale of Moomin Valley (Hardcover)

I am delighted that this classic Tove Jansson's book so well loved in Scadinavia ( and Japan!)is finally available for distribution in the US.The colorful and precise art work is vintage Tove Jansson, the pages populated with creatures familiar from the Moomin books: Moomins, hemulens, filijonks,Edward the Booble and new acquintances, the whompses. The story of shy little Toffle who musters up his courage to rescue even shyer Miffle sends an encouraging universal message to shy and timid youngsters everywhere. The new translation flows well and to me has retained the essence of the original though some die-hard devotees may object to the differences. I can't recommend this book strongly enough - definitely five stars.