At last they came to a small valley, that was more beautiful than any they had seen that day. And there, in the midst of the meadow, stood a house that almost looked like a tall stove, very elegant and painted blue.
And so Tove Jansson offers us, in her first ever Moomin story, a glimpse of Moominvalley and the iconic Moominhouse – a house where the door will always be open to any stranger who wishes to join the kind and inclusive Moomins.
Published in Finland in 1945, The Moomins and the Great Flood follows Moomintroll, Moominmamma and Sniff as they journey through forest and flood searching for long lost Moominpappa and a place to call home. Along the way, in a series of delightful adventures, they encounter Hemulens, stranded kittens and the blue-haired Tulippa.
This special 80th anniversary edition – launching the Moomin 80 anniversary and its slogan ‘The Door is Always Open’ – includes a foreword by children’s laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce; newly discovered notes by Tove Jansson about her Moomin characters; and a stunning cut-out-and-build Moominhouse designed by Tove herself in 1957. The book is a beautiful collectors’ edition, featuring Tove’s original sepia-tint drawings, printed in full colour, with cloth quarter binding.
