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Comet in Moominland: 80th Anniversary Edition
Hardcover
Published October 23, 2025
About the author
Tove Jansson
970 books4,075 followersTove Jansson was born and died in Helsinki, Finland. As a Finnish citizen whose mother tongue was Swedish, she was part of the Swedish-speaking Finns minority. Thus, all her books were originally written in Swedish.
Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945), during World War II. She said later that the war had depressed her, and she had wanted to write something naive and innocent. Besides the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson also wrote and illustrated four original and highly popular picture books.
Jansson's Moomin books have been translated into 33 languages.
Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945), during World War II. She said later that the war had depressed her, and she had wanted to write something naive and innocent. Besides the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson also wrote and illustrated four original and highly popular picture books.
Jansson's Moomin books have been translated into 33 languages.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 7, 2026
'On Friday the seventh of August there wasn't a breath of wind and it was horribly hot...'
It feels somehow uncouth to give the Moomins a star rating but here are 5, though none of them are a comet. There's a reason they, like Peanuts, have persisted, beyond just being cute designs. (Side note Charlie Mackesay wants Jannson's nachos so fucking badly.) But Jannson pulls from the end of war anxieties so poignantly and channels them into a children's story which still perfectly frames and freezes the nuclear and existentialist fears of the end of WWII. It's done in a way which remains digestible, it's a children's book after all, but still thoughtful. It's a shame it still feels relevant in that way...
Also I love the Hemulens.
It feels somehow uncouth to give the Moomins a star rating but here are 5, though none of them are a comet. There's a reason they, like Peanuts, have persisted, beyond just being cute designs. (Side note Charlie Mackesay wants Jannson's nachos so fucking badly.) But Jannson pulls from the end of war anxieties so poignantly and channels them into a children's story which still perfectly frames and freezes the nuclear and existentialist fears of the end of WWII. It's done in a way which remains digestible, it's a children's book after all, but still thoughtful. It's a shame it still feels relevant in that way...
Also I love the Hemulens.
February 3, 2026
sooo cute !! I found myself laughing and smiling to myself on my commute to and from school :) jag älskar Mumin !
May 23, 2026
Would be 6 stars if the scale allowed for it ! MOOMINS 🚨🚨🚨
February 17, 2026
I’ve found the gift I will give every single one of my friends’ children.
February 27, 2026
Onderschat nooit de kwaliteit van een moomin boek
December 12, 2025
This is a sweet adventure of Moomintroll and Sniff finding out about the comet. Its magical and shows why Moomins have a place in our hearts. They meet new friends along the way and work together. It has beautiful illustrations that really add to the story. This was just a short sweet lovely read.
April 7, 2026
A mesmerising and engrossing story that reminds you that there are no limits to what you can write about in fiction. Every chapter has a purpose and all are thoroughly entertaining and imaginative. This book wears its heart on its sleeve, and its pages.
January 24, 2026
The original version of Comet in Moominland was published in 1946 and translated into English 5 years later. The author then revised the text a number of times, the last being in 1968. But, while much of the rest of the world has been reading the '68 text ever since, incredibly it has taken until 2025 to translate the revision into English.
Quite some time has passed since I read Comet in Moominland, so exactly how much the two different editions vary, I cannot say. What I can say is that it is a wonderful read, which I devoured in a day. It contains an adventure involving a long trip away from a beloved home, with a vast array of wonderful creatures, a pipe, song, and a lonely mountain (or two) - not unlike a longer book published in 1937. But this one is a quick read and also contains a cat, a comet, romance, a pen knife, ginger biscuits, coffee and the word "flouncy". I can't recommend it enough.
Quite some time has passed since I read Comet in Moominland, so exactly how much the two different editions vary, I cannot say. What I can say is that it is a wonderful read, which I devoured in a day. It contains an adventure involving a long trip away from a beloved home, with a vast array of wonderful creatures, a pipe, song, and a lonely mountain (or two) - not unlike a longer book published in 1937. But this one is a quick read and also contains a cat, a comet, romance, a pen knife, ginger biscuits, coffee and the word "flouncy". I can't recommend it enough.
December 12, 2025
An early story detailing how lots of familiar folk ended up in Moomin Valley. A revised edition with a new translation. Lovely illustrations, lovely story.
Translated from the Swedish by Sarah Death
Translated from the Swedish by Sarah Death
February 11, 2026
Sooo charming.
June 30, 2026
very nice but not nearly on the same level as the others ive read so far
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews