Moominland Midwinter

It’s irresistible to read this book during the long winter nights. To sit in front of the fireplace with my son and read this story loud. And see the winter in new bright light.

The Moomins usually sleeps through the winter, but one winter suddenly one of them, Moomin, wakes up in a strange world. It’s all dead and covered with deep snow. He feels totally alone in the house where everyone else still is asleep. But there is someone living under the sink… Some strange, shy creature.

He manages to get out although the door is blocked by snow. And out there in the snow he actually find some figures that still is awake. And his friend Little My also wakes up and she show him a lot of ways to enjoy the winter. In the bathing cabin at the shore someone else is living and uses Moomin family’s things. And there is another secret strange creature living in the wardrobe.  The Ice Wife passes by one night and kills everyone who dear to look at her, among them the most confused squirrel that always forget what he is looking for and what he should watch up for.

When Moomin wakes up its midwinter and the sun doesn’t rise at all during the days. This of course worries him a lot. But after a huge bonfire set up by all the winter creatures the sun manages to get up a little bit over the horizon. And a little more the next day. This makes Moomin feel a little better and he might start to enjoy the winter.

Deeper in the valley all the animals and creatures is starving and one day they all comes to live in Moomins house. Among them a very noisy Hemul who loves winter sports and talks far too much. And all by a sudden Moomin longs for loneness again…..

The stories about the Moomins are written by a Finnish-Swedish writer and artist, Tove Jansson (1914-2001). She wrote 9 chapter books and 6 picture books about the Moomins. Some of them are light, bright and happy, some of them is dark and dramatic. But none of them avoid the different feelings of anger, hope, dissolutions, happiness or jealousy. And the different characters have their very own personalities. And they are allowed to be the way they are. They catch the Nordic environment and culture in a certain way and I guess everyone knows about the Moomins. You can read the stories as both an adult and a child.