Finn Family Moomintroll (Moomintrolls) (Paperback)

by Tove Jansson (Author, Illustrator), Elizabeth Portch (Translator) "One spring morning at four o'clock the first cuckoo arrived in the Valley of the Moomins..." (more)
Key Phrases: Snork Maiden, Hobgoblin's Hat, The Adventure (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The initial volume in the Moomintroll series of Finnish fantasy, which dates back more than 40 years, opens as three of the fabulous folk in the Moomin Valley find the Hobgoblin's top hat. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Jansson's evocations of nature are powerfully succinct...This is a terrific book for reading aloud." --The Washington Post Book World
-- Review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374423075
• ISBN-13: 978-0374423070
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Moomin Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully crafted story, September 4, 1999

By	Sam Jeffreys <[e-mail]> (Poole, UK) - See all my reviews

I remember my dad reading the Moomintroll books to me when I was very young. When I was a bit older, I read them again, myself. Now I'm 21, and thought I'd try reading this book once more, after all these years. I've just finished reading it, and it was great. Like most of the best children's fiction, it also appeals perfectly to adults, and although it was written over 40 years ago, I don't think it seems dated, really. There's a lot of sharp humour, and memorable situations/characters. A lot of the themes in the book seem perfectly in-line with amazing childhood exploits; Discovery, exploration... The book surprised me with how ahead-of-its-time it seemed. I don't think you'd find an English book from 1950 that is so liberated and foreward-thinking. Anyway, what I'm (clumsily) trying to say is, I loved this book, and will now read the other books in the series. One last thing: Tove Jansson's illustrations are also excellent, and perfectly complement the story.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is no better fiction book for kids (and/or adults), January 3, 2005

By	Boutchiorezze "Boutchiorezze" (Wilmette, IL) - See all my reviews

My love for Moomins started when I was 6-7. In Poland, where I come from, Moomins were very popular. After my Mom went through all 8 books, and me and my younger brother did not have enough of them, she started to invent new adventures of Moomin, Snufkin, and the rest of the pack. I wish I had noted all these stories...
Anyway, this book is a good starting point, even though, chronologically, it is NOT the first one. You will see the Moominvalley at its best, full of adventures. "Finn Family Moomintroll" is a set of loosely connected stories; you can read one at a time without having to remember what happened last, or caring what will happen next (now, your child WILL insist that you keep on reading when you finish a story, you can be sure of that!).
It is interesting how the Swedish names (I think Tove Jansson wrote the original in Swedish, even though she lived in Finland) got translated into different languages. I will give you English and Polish examples below. Can anyone else post here other translations?

Moomintroll - Muminek
Moominpappa - Tato Muminka
Moominmamma - Mama Muminka
Sniff - Ryjek
Snufkin - Wloczykij
Groke - Buka
Muskrat - Pizmowiec
Thingumy and Bob - Topik i Topcia
Snork - Migotek
Snork Maiden - Panna Migotka
Hemulen - Paszczak
Misabel - Bufka
Too-ticky - Too-tiki
Little My - Mala Mi

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magical Moominland, August 22, 2005

By	Maren Robinson (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Finn Family Moomintroll is one of a series of delightful books by Tove Jansson now available in translation. Distinctly Scandinavian in feel the book is unlike anything I have read in children's literature. The stories focus on the Moominfamily (Moominpapa, Moominmama, and Moomintroll) and their extended family of guests who came to live with them and never left, Sniff, Snuffkin and the Muskrat (the philosopher). They have episodic adventures with their neighbors the Snork and the Snorkmaiden (who look remarkably like the moomins) The Moomintrolls are illustrated to look rather like small hippopotamuses.

The author takes an informational tone sometimes offering footnotes on the Moomintroll homes or customs. The chapters are short tales that connect to one another which makes them ideal for reading aloud. (Think of the short chapter adventures of Paddington Bear as an analogy.) All of the fantastical things that occur are portrayed as perfectly normal in Moominland. What is most enticing about the tales are the charming illustrations and the feeling that reading about Moominland creates; it is at once otherworldly and very much in tune with nature. While the adventures are exciting there is never a sense of overwhelming danger, which give the series gentleness. This volume involves the mysterious and potentially threatening Hobgoblin but even his interaction with the residents of Moominland turns out to be surprisingly generous.

Smaller children who enjoy fanciful books will like to have these stories read aloud and older children and the adults who read these stories will find humor in the footnotes or the "philosophy" of the Muskrat. These are clearly Scandinavian classics that have not yet reached a wider audience in America.