The Moomin books, that is.
Moomins are white, hippopotamus-like creatures that live in the snowy lands of the Moomin Valley. A creation of a Finnish writer, Tove Jansson, published originally in Swedish, these books have proven very popular with children (and adults) for decades. I first learned of these beloved books when I read a semi-autobiographical book by Stephen Johnson. In a deeply personal account of his troubles overcoming abuse and trauma, he wrote: "As a child, I loved Tove Jansson's Moomintroll books; more recently, as an adult, I've had the pleasure of returning to them and discovering how full of wisdom, compassion, and psychological insight they are." (From Stephen Johnson, How Shostakovich changed my mind, p. 81. 781.1 J630
Finding these in English translation has proven a bit challenging, but we have some well-regarded adaptations in our collection now.
For a belated Christmas: Christmas comes to Moomin Valley
And in keeping with the season: Moomin and the Ice Festival
And others, such as:
Moomin and the Spring Surprise
We also have a volume of the comic strips:
Moomin: the complete Tove Jansson comic strip
And for very small children, a book that teaches numbers:
Moomin's Little Book of Numbers
You can browse the Moomin books under the call number U Jansson in the Universal section on the 2nd floor (formerly called "Children's" we renamed this part of our collection because people of all ages can enjoy many of the books it contains, not just children).
