Moomin Book 3

January 1, 2009
Gr 10 Up-Moomin, the appealing hippolike troll, and his family and friends are back. This volume features characters from the author's well-known children's books in five short, amusingly chaotic adventures, including an errant Martian spaceship crashing in Moomin's garden, Moomin and his family moving into a haunted lighthouse, and Moomin's levelheaded and practical Moominmama joining a gang of burglars. The stories are fast moving and humorous, but also bring up thought-provoking questions such as What is romantic love? and Is it better to have security or freedom? Jansson's expressive line drawings give the Moomin family, as well as other characters like Stinky the burglar and Moomin's neighbor Mrs. Fillyjonk, unique personalities. Teens will enjoy the whimsical characters and appreciate the exploration of human nature and society through the eyes of another species."Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2008
The third collection of Moomintroll family comic strips contains five stories. Although they proceed in tripartitioned rectangles (stacked four on a page), reflecting their original newspaper format, their narrative flow doesnt stutter a bit. Its as if they were conceived as wholes, despite their story lines essential capriciousness. In them, the family faces flood, Martians, lighthouse-keeping, and club life (clubs were big in the newly leisured 1950s, the strips era, to which it otherwise gives scant notice), and Moomin, the young male character, falls briefly for a siren. Theyre keenly delightful, like Wind in the Willows for adults, especially those who arent too adult.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)