Square Fish Comet in Moominland

I do smile when people surprised by the darkness of Tove Jansson's final novel, Moominvalley in November, invoke this story as its antithesis and a light and cheerful Moomin story. It's a parable, as far as I can make out, for life under the early years of the newly realized threat of global nuclear annihilation: Moomintroll and Sniff discover that the earth lies in the path of a rapidly approaching comet that will destroy the planet, and the book documents their quest to grasp the threat and then, with ample helpings of pathos, their flight back home in hopes that Moominmamma will somehow make it all okay. So if you discount the threat of the imminent fiery destruction of the world, then sure, it's a lighthearted bedtime read. The thing is, the nature of Jansson's incredible writing is such that you actually almost CAN discount that threat, and enjoy the story as something like an innocent romp. It's punctuated with ample humour and plenty of derring-do, midsummer-night's dances and shopping expeditions. The characters are constantly distracted from the horror that threatens to overwhelm them, by the simple joys of life: Moomintroll snaps out of his torpor when he meets and falls immediately head over heels for the secretly rather capable Snork Maiden, the fearful Sniff is happy so long as there's a get-rich-quick scheme somewhere on the horizon, pedantry is its own reward for the pernickety Snork and even Snufkin, the closest the series has to a straight man, can set his growing dread aside for long enough to play harmonica for the tree-spirits. This is part of Tove Jansson's genius: her writing holds in tension genuine darkness and a boundless, bubbling joy, two sides of life, never allowing one to obliterate the other, never tempted to say that one is real and the other an illusion. Yes, this story has a happy ending, and it's full of the signature optimism and the loving handling of its characters' flaws that are the series's hallmark. Yes, Sniff totally fights a dragon (well, giant lizard) and there's plenty of lemonade and a fuddled Hemulen. But if this is the lighthearted end of the series's spectrum, that's just to illustrate how deep these books go. Anyway. My five-year-old loved it for the adventuring and exploring -- I don't want to make it sound as though the existential horror is laid on thick, or anything. But it's maybe the first bedtime story series that I've been as rapt with as she was.

I would highly recommend this beautiful book to kids of all ages.

It's the author's early work. Now I have the whole collection.

My favourite books from childhood. Reading them again takes me back to summer holidays, freedom and adventures.

Oh, where to begin?! This book, and the others in the Moomin series (though I haven't read ALL of them, I can only surmise that the ones I haven't read are similar in greatness) are just wonderful. I am the mother of a bright six-year-old who has enjoyed having chapter books read to her since she was two. It has at times been difficult to find chapter books that meet my exacting discrimination. There are a few things that I look for (or look to make sure they aren't there) in these types of books, to wit: 1) Well-written. I want there to be good sentence structure, good grammar, and VOCABULARY. Many writers of young people's fiction tend to write down to the child's level; I believe that the child can rise to the level of the book's writing (obviously, to an extent - I wouldn't expect my kindergartner to understand Crime and Punishment ). And leave the slang, out please. 2) Timelessness. I am not interested in books that refer to pop culture, technology, current events, etc. Even books that were written eighty years ago, such as Swallows and Amazons (Godine Storyteller) , can be utterly relevant, if they are focused on character and adventure instead of iPads and Justin Beiber (whoever he is). 3) Gentleness, Respect. I wouldn't want my child to hang out with an ill-behaved, discourteous, mean-spirited little brat, would you? So why spend time with them in books? For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would want to read (or let their children read) something like Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (Junie B. Jones, No. 1) , in which this utterly obnoxious child uses the word "stupid" about forty times on each page and is so rude and disrespectful to everyone around her that I couldn't get further than ten pages in before I threw the book away. Gag! Hey, writers - this is not funny! If you want to portray "real" children (who are by no means always walking around with their little halos saying "Yes, ma'am") and you want to be funny about it, take a lesson from Beverly Cleary in The Ramona Collection, Vol. 1: Beezus and Ramona / Ramona the Pest / Ramona the Brave / Ramona and Her Father [4 Book Box set ]. She manages to convey the reality of being (and parenting) a spirited child without making her character into an antagonist into the bargain. 4)Adventure, Excitement. Not much to add here. The plot has to keep moving. Often, this is best accomplished in books for younger children by making the book into a series of adventures, each one getting resolved as the book goes on. Well, "Comet in Moominland" has all of that and more (as does Finn Family Moomintroll (Moomintrolls) , book 2 in the series. The characters are all individual, unique "people" (imaginary creatures) with very distinct, yet believeable personalities. The main characters (Moomintroll, Sniff, the Snork and the Snork Maiden, possibly Snufkin) are all "children", and there are "adult" figures that come and go throughout the book as well, and they have a high degree of freedom. For example, when Moomintroll and Sniff (a small, treasure-obsessed animal reminding me somewhat of a rather feistier version of Piglet in The World of Pooh: The Complete Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner (Pooh Original Edition) ) decide to go out on an adventure to the tallest mountain in the world, Moominmamma simply packs them a lunch and their "woolly trousers" and bids them farewell. It's fantasy fiction at its best, but for the 4-to-8 set. (Of course, adult lovers of juvenile fiction will adore the Moomins and the world Tove Janssen has created here.) This book has mystery, dangerous creatures, daring rescues, treasure, peril, friendship and delight by the bucketload. The dialog is superlative, the humor is wry and witty (and yet fully accessibly to children), and the meanness is kept to a minimum: the Snork can get a little snarky, and characters do occasionally tell one another to "shut up", which is unpleasant, but for this reader, those things were a small part of it, and served as "teachable moments" ("Gee, the Snork isn't acting very nice, is he?" and so forth). I highly recommend this book, and the next one in the series, and probably the rest of them as well, although I haven't read those yet. If Amazon had SIX stars, Comet in Moominland would get them all from me! (And my kid loves it too! She even ASKS to go to bed earlier so that we have more time to read!)