What Are Moomins?
Artist and Writer Tove Jansson, 1956
Moomins are cute little, Smurf-like white blobs of creatures in a series of books created by author-illustrator, the Swedish-Finn, Tove Jansson.
Tove has populated an entire forest with cute, funny little characters, each with its own personality.
Originally published in Swedish in Finland, her books became popular in the United States in the 1950s.
The first book in the series was The Moomins and the Great Flood.
My daughter-in-law’s 1958 copy of Finn Family Moomintroll was published in the U.S. ten years after its original publication in Finland in 1948.
Where Do the Stories Take Place?
Even if you didn’t know this story had been written by someone from Sweden and Finland, you might start to suspect, as most of the creatures hibernate through the winter.
Delightfully upbeat and satisfyingly problem-solving, the Moomins have fun, treat each other well, and make you want to read about what adventure they are going on next.
From the clouds that magically appear at the beginning of the story to the Hobgoblin who grants everyone’s wish at the end, the book keeps you turning pages.
The illustrations and detailed descriptions of the Moomins’ surroundings make it easy to see how these stories were eventually turned into cartoons, comic books, movies, music, a tv show and eventually a theme park in Finland.
The illustrations throughout the book delight, but there is also a list of them at the back of the book to introduce you to the creatures all over again.
What Is a Spoonerism?
The word play used by two characters who speak using Spoonerisms is, perhaps, the funniest part of the book.
They reverse the beginning letters of words in a sentence, to great effect.
“Nake no totice,” stood in for “Take no notice.”
“Foke means smood,” for “Smoke means food.”
“Shall we dock on the knoor,” for “Shall we knock on the door?”
This kind of word play will delight your grandchildren.
Think up some you’d like to try on them before you let them read the book or read it to them, as they will likely fall into the rhythm of this game quickly and you will want a stead hart.
Click here to order Finn Family Moomintroll from amazon.
Do you still have any favorite books from your childhood?
Do your children?
Which books do you think will stand the test of time in your grandchildren’s lives?
To you and delighting your grandchildren.
Carol Covin, Granny-Guru
Author, “Who Gets to Name Grandma? The Wisdom of Mothers and Grandmothers”
Click here to nominate my book for Best Grandparenting Book at grandparents.about.com
Click here to nominate this post for Best Grandparenting Post at grandparents.about.com
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What Are Moomins? Book Thursday.
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