Book Recommendation: The Moomins Series by Tove Jansson

The co-creator of this blog is probably going to laugh when she sees this post, but I would nevertheless like to recommend a series of children's books that is very near and dear to me. The Moomins series was begun in 1945 by a Swedish-speaking Finnish woman. The series details the often quite whimsical adventures of a family of hippopotamus-shaped creatures who live in a fictional place in Northern Finland called Moominvalley.

I would recommend this series primarily to elementary school students and older students struggling with reading comprehension; however, the Moomin books are written so that they can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I know of adults living in Scandinavia and in Finland who often revisit the beloved stories they enjoyed as children. I myself didn't discover the Moomins until my junior year of high school, but I found them rewarding nevertheless.

The Moomins series can teach American children a lot about Nordic culture and also serve as a gentle reminder to respect all of Earth's living creatures, from plants to animals to the waters and forests they call home. The prose is also quite beautiful, and often evokes vivid mental images of glowing sunsets and magical nights. For a better idea of what I'm talking about, see the quotes I've included below.


“Now dusk fell again. It spread very slowly and carefully, to give the day ample time to go to bed. Small clouds were strewn all over the western sky like dabs of pink whipped cream. They were reflected on the ocean, which rested calm and smooth and looked quite harmless.” - Moominpappa’s Memoirs

“The sun had set, but now in June there was of course no darkness to speak of. The night was pale and dreamy and full of magic.” - Moominsummer Madness. 

“The sand was raked into smooth little ripples under the clear, green water, and the rocks were warm in the sunshine. The wind had gone home to sleep, and there was no horizon to be seen, only a great transparency of light.” - Moominpappa’s Memoirs

“One evening the western sky was on fire with the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. It was a tumult of red, orange, pink, and yellow flames, filling the clouds above the dark and stormy sea with smoldering colors. The wind was blowing from the south-west towards the island from the sharp, coal-black line of the horizon.

  

As she gazed at the sky, the evening light crept up the wall, lighting up the flowers in her garden. They seemed to be alive and shining. The garden opened out, and the gravel path with its curious perspective suddenly seemed quite right and to lead straight to the verandah. Moominmamma put her paws round the truck of the tree; it was warm with sunshine and she felt that the lilac was in bloom.” - Moominpappa at Sea.