Tales from Moominvalley

Tales from Moominvalley (Swedish: Det osynliga barnet och andra berättelser, literally 'The Invisible Child and other stories') is the seventh book in the Moomins series by Finnish author Tove Jansson. Unlike all the other books, which were novels, it is a collection of short stories, the longest book in the series. It was first published in 1962 (second edition 1998). The book forms the basis of episodes 9, 10, 13, 24, and 36 of the 1990 series.

Tales from Moominvalley
First edition (Swedish)
AuthorTove Jansson
CountryFinland
LanguageSwedish
SeriesMoomins
GenreChildren's novel
PublisherSchildts
Publication date
1962
Preceded byMoominland Midwinter 
Followed byMoominpappa at Sea 

The book contains nine stories:

  • The Spring Tune (Vårvisan)
  • A Tale of Horror (En hemsk historia)
  • The Fillyjonk Who Believed in Disasters (Filifjonkan som trodde på katastrofer)
  • The Last Dragon in the World (Historien om den sista draken i världen)
  • The Hemulen Who Loved Silence (Hemulen som älskade tystnad)
  • The Invisible Child (Berättelsen om det osynliga barnet)
  • The Secret of the Hattifatteners (Hatifnattarnas hemlighet)
  • Cedric (Cedric)
  • The Fir Tree (Granen)[1]

Reception edit

Kirkus Reviews compared Moominvalley to the writing of Lewis Carroll, highlighting how Jansson "takes up into a fantasia world with near-real inhabitants". In addition to describing the joys of the written text, Kirkus Reviews noted that the book's "creatures are given additional substance by the illustrations".[2]

Adaptation edit

Along with other Moomins books, the stories and characters from Tales from Moominvalley were adapted into a Dutch-Japanese-Finnish anime television series produced by Telecable Benelux B.V. and animated by Telescreen Japan in the 1990s.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ Yashkina, Svetlana (2016). Modern Fairy Tales: The New Existence of an Old Genre : Exemplified by the Books of Alan A. Milne, Tove Jansson and Eno Raud.
  2. ^ "Tales from Moominvalley". Kirkus Reviews. 1964-09-01. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  3. ^ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 (Revised and Expanded ed.). Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. p. 428. ISBN 978-1933330105.

External links edit