An old childhood favourite that I always revisit at this time of year. As someone who struggles with the darkness, this tale of Moomintroll waking up early from his hibernation to find himself in an alien winter landscape resonates more than ever. The themes of cold, loneliness, and even mortality with the scene where the squirrel is frozen by the lady of the cold, are strong ones for a children's book, but this is the thing that makes Tove Jansson stand out for me as an author.
The later chapters move from loneliness to Moomintroll coping with a flood of hungry refugees escaping the cold and the infuriatingly chipper Hemulin who turns up on skis determined to introduce Moominvalley to the joys of healthy outdoor activities. My favourite character in this though, is the pragmatic and enigmatic Too Ticky, based on Jansson's life partner Tuulikki Pietilä who helps Moomintroll to appreciate the winter landscape.
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