Moominland Midwinter

By Tove Jansson

Moomins sleep through the winter – or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up.

The Moomins are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley, beside the sea. They love the sunshine and sleep all through the winter months, waking up when spring arrives. Except one year when Moomintroll accidentally awakes and finds himself stranded and alone in a mysterious world blanketed with snow. This leaves Moomintroll feeling lonely, miserable, angry and scared – the result of being forced to survive in a world to which he feels he does not belong.

In Moominland Midwinter we follow Moomin as he overcomes his amazement and isolation and, with the help of the wise Too-ticky and the fearless Little My, begins to explore the glittering new landscape. 

Moominland Midwinter, represents an important shift in Tove Jansson’s approach to creating children’s stories, asserting that children could cope with the full gamut of emotions, including moments of loneliness and isolation. As a result her books have been a source of comfort and inspiration to children and adults who have found themselves coping with new and unfamiliar situations.

Publishing information

Rights sold

About the author

Tove Jansson (1914-2001), Finnish-Swedish writer and artist, achieved worldwide fame as the creator of the Moomins, written and illustrated between 1945 and 1970. The books about the brave, adventurous, yet family-focused and home-loving Moomins have been translated into more than 60 languages and are still in print all over the world today.The Moomins were, of course, only a part of Jansson’s prodigious output. Already admired in Nordic art circles as a painter, cartoonist and illustrator, she would go on to write a series of classic novels and short stories. She remains Scandinavia’s best-loved author.Tove Jansson’s work reflected the tenets of her life: her love of family and nature, and her insistence on freedom to pursue her art. “Work and love” was the motto she chose for herself and her approach to both was joyful and uncompromising.