Moomin Book Eight

Leave Moominvalley? Is it possible? Yes, even the Moomin family need a change of scenery sometimes, so they're off to live in a lighthouse on a tiny island. Here they find space to grow, and to do things they couldn't in their comfortable, cluttered valley home. As they discover their new home, the family also discover surprising, and wonderfully funny, new things about themselves.

"Moomin is about freedom, tolerance, and optimism amid frustration, loss, and fear." —Modern Painters Moomin: The Complete Lars Jansson Comic Strip, Volume Ten welcomes readers back to the beloved world of Moominvalley, where pancakes and jam are a perfectly acceptable supper and wealthy aunts can be altogether too fierce to handle. The tenth volume of Tove and Lars Jansson's classic comic strip features the macabre and hilarious "Moomin and the Vampire" and "The Underdeveloped Moomins." Together, the four stories in this collection display the poignancy, whimsy, and philosophical bent that constitute the Moomins' enduring appeal.

Tove Jansson's Moomin characters and books are admired the world over. In the United States the series beginning with Finn Family Moomintroll (first published in English in 1945) has accumulated generations of fans. Since Farrar, Straus and Giroux began reissuing the books in 1989, grateful readers old and new have been thrilled to have the stories available again. At last the final installment is being published – oddly, the only book that features none of the Moomin family themselves, though it does take place at their house. There familiar characters converge – Snufkin, the Hemulen, Fillyjonk, and others – seeking out the Moomins' welcoming company, only to find them absent. All remain at the house, all have very different personalities that clash often, but something about their homey cohabitation during the icy winter changes each visitor in a gratifying way. As The Times Literary Supplement put it, Moominvalley in November is "possibly the cleverest of the Moomin books."

Tove Jansson takes us on a beautifully illustrated and delightfully quirky journey through Moominvalley, perfectly capturing the experience and its emotional impact as seen through the innocent eyes of Susanna, who is bored with her life: Her cat is too content; her surroundings, too gentle. She craves adventure when there is none to be had. But when a new pair of glasses appears in front of her, she gets an opportunity to live the bold life that she has always longed for as her surroundings are transformed into a dark and sinister landscape. At first Susanna is afraid, but then her daring side takes over and she moves forward to an unknown destination, seeing some familiar faces along the way. Combating everything from an exploding volcano to a fierce winter storm, from mysterious monsters to stormy seas, Susanna and her newfound friends are given the adventure of a lifetime. With subtle existential themes, a lyrical rhythm, and delicate watercolor illustrations, The Dangerous Journey captures the curiosity of children and adults alike. Published for the first time in North America, and the last picture book completed by the world-renowned Jansson, The Dangerous Journey pushes the emotions that underlie our nostalgia out into the open with an unparalleled viewpoint that always brings forth a new perspective. Take this fantastical journey to Moominvalley and never look back.

“Moomin is about freedom, tolerance, and optimism amid frustration, loss, and fear.”—Modern Painters Moomin Book Ten: The Complete Lars Jansson Comic Strip welcomes readers back to the beloved world of Moominvalley, where pancakes and jam are a perfectly acceptable supper and wealthy aunts can be altogether too fierce to handle. The tenth volume of Tove and Lars Jansson’s classic comic strip features the macabre and hilarious “Moomin and the Vampire” and “The Underdeveloped Moomins” story. Together, the four stories in this collection display the poignancy, whimsy, and philosophical bent that constitute the Moomins’ enduring appeal.

When a grumbling volcano causes Moominvalley to flood, the Moomins escape by boat, finding refuge on a floating theatre. Adventures abound when the theatre casts adrift leaving Moomin,The Snorkmaiden and Little My marooned. Will they all be reunited before the final curtain?

Get shipwrecked with Moomin in the eighth volume of the beloved Moomin hardcover series Lars Jansson returns with the eighth volume of the classic Moomin hardcover comic series, and the whole gang is back in action. Sniff is causing trouble with another of his get-rich-quick schemes, Snorkmaiden falls in love with the inspector's bad boy nephew, and Moominmamma is offering up plum cake to whosoever should need it. As always, the experiences of the Moomin family are poignant, melancholy, and strangely wise, with just a dash of drolly funny and a pinch of slapstick. Without a doubt, Lars Jansson's Moomin Book Eight is a treat for the whole family.