HAPPY MOOMIN-DAY!!!

-
Today marks the 104th birthday of Tove Jansson; Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, artist, illustrator, comic strip author and creator of the Moomins.
The first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood was published during World War II in 1945. Jansson said the war depressed her a great deal and she wanted something innocent and joyful. While The Moomins and the Great Flood practically escaped all notice, her second Moomin book, Comet in Moominland was published in 1946, followed by Finn Family Moomintroll in 1948, which sold well and gathered critical acclaim, making her famous. Jansson published 6 more Moomin books, as well as a number of picture books and comics. In 1966, she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing. By this time, in parts of the world, Moomins were a household name.
So...what are Moomins? Well, they are a family of troll-type creatures, generally speaking furry and snow-white in appearance; round and cuddly (if you know them well enough), with a large snout and they look vaguely like a hippopotamus. They are generally quite naive, but also philosophical. The stories take the reader on quite a variety of adventures that find them fleeing a great wave after the eruption of the local volcano; hunkering down to protect themselves from an oncoming comet, encountering a number of supernatural events and generally trying to understand and work with the world they live in.
And they are wonderful! Magical, quirky stories that 'stand the test of time', these books will take you on journeys, both in the outer and inner world. I've just finished reading Moominsummer Madness (for about the 16th time) and was once again enchanted and mesmerised. They may not be loud and raucous, like many childrens' books published today, but they have the same appeal they always had. There is much to offer in these books; journeys, thought-provoking situations, memorable and imaginative characters, beautifully depicted landscapes, drama and tension, fantastic humour; the list goes on. They are perfect for ages 7+ to read alone, but I highly recommend reading them as a family (or a class, for that matter.)
If you are a big Moomin fan already, or are suitably intrigued and want to know more about the Moomins, all their friends and relations and Tove Jansson herself, I can highly recommend The World of Moominvalley by Philip Ardagh (Moomin aficionado and fabulous kids writer, himself.) For the grown-ups in the audience, there is an excellent biography entitled Tove Jansson: Work and Love, written by Tuula Karjalainen.
When Tove Jansson passed away in 2001, she left a truly stunning legacy behind for us all.
Haven't read the Moomins, yet? I really think you should correct that situation ASAP! Get yourself down to the bookshop and select a Moomin book; Finn Family Moomintroll, Comet in Moominland, Moominsummer Madness, Tales From Moominvalley.... just pick one. You'll be hooked.
Happy Moomin-Day!!! And thank you, Tove Jansson...wherever you are.
https://www.moomin.com/en/tove-jansson/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rights of the Reader

-
Image
The Rights of the Reader; Daniel Pennac, illustrated by Quentin Blake Summer is here and we do encourage summer reading with numerous incentives and programmes. It is important for children (of all ages) to 'keep their reading up' outside of school time. This is the time when kids develop their own taste in books and can be free to read books of their own choosing. And this is the single most important factor in young people developing a lifelong reading habit. But how do we, as the 'gatekeepers' of kids reading, encourage them properly without running the risk of thrusting pressure and our own ideas on them? Do that and you'll run the risk of pushing them away from reading, and there are already so many distractions for the young reader to contend with that can tempt them elsewhere. Published by Walker Books; 9781406300918 In 1992, French writer Daniel Pennac originally published this little gem of a book; The Rights of the Reader. I highly recommend
Read more

The Summer of Lily and Esme by John Quinn....25 years

-
Image
This year marks the anniversary of the publication of an extraordinary book. In 1991, Poolbeg published The Summer of Lily & Esme by John Quinn and in the 25 years since, it has never been out of print. The Summer of Lily & Esme tells a quiet story, filled with compassion, friendship, memory and heart. It is the story of Alan, an 11-year-old boy who has moved from the city into a house in the countryside; in the middle of nowhere.The house is old and extremely large and immaculate; and there is a locked, boarded over attic room that is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young boy who died tragically. Alan is not too pleased with this move and becomes even less thrilled when he discovers his closest neighbours, in fact his only neighbours, are a pair of elderly sisters, Esme and Lily, who seem to be suffering from dementia.  When Alan falls down a hill of brambles and weeds, the sisters, who believe they themselves to be children, mistake Alan for their
Read more

Launch of Genesis by Eilis Barrett

-
Image
A week ago, I played a small part of the launch of Genesis , the much-anticipated sequel to Oasis by Eilis Barrett; this time at Charlie Byrnes Bookshop in Galway. Vinny Brown introduces Eilis Eilis is a remarkable young woman, as you might imagine since she is 18 years old and this is her second book. ( Oasis was published when she was 16.) Articulate and accomplished, it is a real privilege to know her, to hear her speak and to read her writing. Genesis author: Eilis Barrett publisher: Gill Books (8 September 2017 ISBN: 9780717174355 Genesis picks up the story of Quincy Emerson. She now finds herself a captive once again, in the maximum-security prison, the Colosseum as a security risk. Held in deplorable and brutal conditions in the prison, where anarchy rules and rival gangs wage a 'street war' of sorts, Quincy takes care to not make an enemy of either gang boss, while holding allegiance to no one but herself and her comrades on the outside. Food is scarce an
Read more