Who Will Comfort Toffle?

By Tove Jansson

Who Will Comfort Toffle? is set in Moominvalley, but doesn’t feature any Moomins. Instead, we meet Fillyjonks, jolly Hemulens, Mymble, Snufkin and a whole bunch of other characters.  This book depicts the magical and universally appealing story of Toffle, a lonely, timid creature who journeys in search of friendship and confidence. Toffle is too shy to speak to anyone – until he discovers a creature even more afraid than him.  Who Will Comfort Toffle? is a tale from Moominvalley and shows how Toffle is driven from his home by the frightening noises of the forest. Too shy at first to approach the many colourful Moomin characters he passes along the way, he gains confidence by discovering a scared and lonely Miffle who needs help.  Toffle’s quest to save Miffle from the dreadful Groke is an inspiring tale that every child (and many adults) are sure to identify with. It becomes a poetic story of gaining courage in order to not be afraid and then help someone else in need.  Tove Jansson’s Who Will Comfort Toffle? is a therapeutic classic, loved by readers of all ages. In the Nordics, it is one of Tove Jansson’s most popular books and it has never been out of print since it was first published in 1960. 

Publishing information

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.