Although containing relatively short stories, Moomintrolls and Friends, (stories originally found in Tales from Moominvalley) has been cleverly crafted to amuse both young and old alike. By using a delightfully humorous approach, Tove Jansson certainly captivates readers keen to escape to the strange yet serene
little world of Moominvalley and its surroundings- where the adventures are set and take place. Centering on the lives of the Moomintrolls, readers are still invited to meet their peculiar assortment of friends such as little My, Too-Ticky, and Snufkin. The
Secret of the Hattifatteners; The
Invisible Child; and The Last
Dragon in the World, are the three entertaining adventures compiled within this collection- all of which are splendidly written through the great skill and imagination of Jansson.
In The Secret of the Hattifatteners, Moominpappa, the head of the Moominfamily household, is overcome by a strange and nagging feeling, and so strays away from home, hoping to find something that he believes cannot be found at home. And so he finds the Hattifatteners- the mysterious and fairly dangerous creatures that inhabit Moominland. Wanting desperately to understand and be apart of their secret lives, he follows them to sea, where they gather in droves on an island awaiting a thunderstorm. Moominpappa eventually realizes that they can only truly live in the presence of electricity, and so returns home to the only life he’ll ever love.
The Invisible Child, is a highly amusing and descriptive story about Ninny, an invisible child brought to the Moominfamily house by Too-Ticky, a friend of the Moomintrolls. In hope of making Ninny visible again, Too-Ticky leaves her in the care of Moominmamma, who makes a medicine to cure her. However, she can only be partially seen, and the Moomintrolls and their friends discover, that after her previous mistreatment, patience and kindness are part of the remedy. Gradually, Ninny becomes visible, and one day on a beach, can finally be seen after biting Moominpappa’s tail, thinking he was going to push Moominmamma into the sea. Ninny is no longer invisible, and Moominmamma believes in her heart that it’s all owed to the medicine.
The third and final tale, The Last Dragon in the World, begins with Moomintroll catching a tiny, yet magnificent dragon in a jar, in a murky little pond. Amazed by it, Moomintroll wants nothing more than to be liked by the dragon, which he decides to keep as a secret pet. However, little My in her mischievous manner, alerts everyone that Moomintroll is keeping a secret. Never the less, Moomintroll is allowed to keep his new dragon, and is adamant to be its master and have it loyal to him. Excited about his find, Moomintroll shows the dragon to his friend, Snufkin, who approaches it with a calm and casual attitude. The dragon ignores Moomintroll, and becomes besotted with Snufkin, never leaving his side. Seeing how hurt and disappointed Moomintroll is by this, Snufkin gives the dragon to a hemulen passing down the river, and asks him to take it far away with him. When Snufkin sees Moomintroll again, he pretends the dragon flew away on its own accord, letting Moomintroll believe that the dragon never belonged to anyone but itself.
It is undeniable that all three stories have been crafted in an impressive fashion that any reader could appreciate.
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