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Tove Jansson
Tove Jansson (1914 – 2001), was born in 1914 in Helingsfors, Finland. Her mother was a charicaturist and the designer of many of Finland’s stamps, and her father was a sculptor. Tove studied painting in Finland, Sweden and France and later worked as a book illustrator, a designer and strip cartoonist, as well as being involved in theatre décor and making frescoes in public places. She drew her first Moomin in the 1930s, just for fun, to tease her little brother by drawing the ugliest creature she could think of. Moomin developed a nicer snout and character and in 1939 he became a character in a children’s story. The Finn Family Moomingtroll has been a hugely successful book, translated into many languages – many other Moomin stories followed.
In 1966 Tove Jansson was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal – an international award for the best children’s book of the year.
Most of the books were written on a small island in the Gulf of Finland where Tove, her mother and brother were the only inhabitants. Later Tove continued to live alone on the island - It takes an hour to row to the nearest island. Some years ago she wrote of the island:
‘It is so small you can walk around it in ten minutes. It is shaped like an atoll and surrounds a deep lake which in good weather makes a fine swimming pool, but in bad weather turns into a raging torrent surrounded by waterfalls. Then our boat has to be pulled right up to the house and tied to the veranda. We only have one tree, a rowan, which bloomed for the first time last summer. But we plant wild roses in the crevices, and potatoes. And we fish. We use rainwater for our coffee and driftwood for our fires. My favourite weather is fog, when the island seems to be afloat at the very end of the world in perfect silence and solitude. Only rarely does one hear the foghorns from the open sea where big ships go by for foreign countries.’
In this very special, beautiful and challenging environment Tove’s imagination and artistic talent flourished.
Featured Books, with extracts illustrated by Tove Jansson
Tove Jansson
May 2010 Guest Editor Philip Ardagh says of this book: What can I say? In early May, I'll be one of a number of guests of the Finnish Embassy and Puffin books celebrating 65 years of the remarkable Moomin books, written...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers | Ebooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 22/02/1973
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Books illustrated by Tove Jansson
Cally Law
Format: Paperback - Released: 24/05/2012
Tove Jansson
Format: Paperback - Released: 01/12/2006
Tove Jansson
Winter is coming, and the Fillyjonk, the Hemulen, Toft, Mymble and others are waiting in Moominvalley to see the Moomins return home. Winter doesn't seem right without them.
Format: Paperback - Released: 28/11/1974
Tove Jansson
A Moomintroll is small, shy, fat, and has a Moominpappa and a Moominmamma. Moomins live in the forests of Finland. One day Moominpappa takes his family off to start a new life in a lighthouse on a tiny, rocky island...
Format: Paperback - Released: 28/03/1974
Tove Jansson
Presents Moominpappa's life story - from the days when he was abandoned in a newspaper parcel on the doorstep of a Moomin orphanage, to when he ran away to see the world and was lucky enough to meet Moominmamma.
Format: Paperback - Released: 28/03/1974
Tove Jansson
Although they're small, fat and shy creatures; Moomins have the most amazing adventures. It all begins when Moominpappa tries on a magic hat that makes exciting and funny things happen.
Format: Paperback - Released: 30/08/1973
Tove Jansson
If you found a tiny golden dragon with green paws, would you know what to do with it? Well, Moomintroll thinks he knows what to do. But when he takes his new-found pet home, things don't quite work out as...
Format: Paperback - Released: 30/08/1973
Tove Jansson
Moomins always sleep through the winter - or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up and went exploring in the silent, snow-covered valley where the river used to scuttle along and all his friends were so busy in summer.
Format: Paperback - Released: 26/07/1973
Tove Jansson
A great flood wave threatens Moomin Valley! When the Moomin family is flooded out of its home, the Moomins set about finding themselves a new one. And being resourceful little creatures, they soon find a very original one: a floating...
Format: Paperback - Released: 28/06/1973
Tove Jansson
A comet is speeding towards Earth and nobody knows what to do!Will it destroy everything and everyone? Moomintroll decides to find out. So, with Sniff, he sets out on an expedition.
Format: Paperback - Released: 22/02/1973
