Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Comet in Moominland (The Moomins, #2)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Comet in Moominland

(Mumintrollen #2)

Tove Jansson,

Elizabeth Portch (Translator)

4.19 · Rating details · 14,091 ratings · 783 reviews

When all the people of the forest started making the same secret sign - a star with a tail on it - Moomintroll, who was a thoughtful fellow, recognised it as a warning.

So he and Sniff, the small animal, set out for the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to ask the Professor if a comet was really on its way to destroy the Earth.

And on their journey they met some interestin ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 158 pages

Published 2012 by Puffin (first published 1946)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Comet in Moominland, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.19 ·

Rating details

· 14,091 ratings · 783 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Comet in Moominland (The Moomins, #2)

Oct 30, 2017 Hannah Greendale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, middle-grade, must-read-kid-lit

[Note: Rating increased from 3 to 4 stars after reading the first moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood.]

Moomintroll’s quiet life is upended when foreboding images of a star with a tail send him journeying to speak with the Professors at the Observatory. Meeting new friends along the way and forging through perilous adventures together, Moomintroll and his companions arrive at the Observatory where they learn a comet is headed towards earth. Worse yet – the comet is predicted to land prec [Note: Rating increased from 3 to 4 stars after reading the first moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood.]

Moomintroll’s quiet life is upended when foreboding images of a star with a tail send him journeying to speak with the Professors at the Observatory. Meeting new friends along the way and forging through perilous adventures together, Moomintroll and his companions arrive at the Observatory where they learn a comet is headed towards earth. Worse yet – the comet is predicted to land precisely where Moomintroll lives with his Moominpappa and Moominmamma. Moomintroll must find a quick way home if he’s going to warn his family in time.

description

It’s not difficult to see why ‘Moominmania’ exists. Jansson’s book conveys an innocence rarely found in modern titles. An undeniable charm exudes from her fanciful characters – the same type of odd yet memorable creatures one anticipates finding in an L. Frank Baum novel.

Moomins have a simple way of life. Their relaxed attitudes, gardens, and lovingly prepared meals are reminiscent of Tolkien’s hobbits. In fact, Jansson’s descriptions of the whimsical setting often invoke the sense that one is reading about an alternate Shire – a feeling made more robust by Moomintroll and his friends journeying to the Lonely Mountains.

Halfway up the hill on their way grew a clump of blue-trees covered with big yellow pears, and of course they couldn’t get past that without Sniff deciding that he was hungry.

It certainly looked mysterious. Overhead the branches of the plum trees, oaks, and silver poplars met and formed a dark tunnel which led away into the unknown.

Despite the impending threat of a comet hitting the earth, Moomintroll and his companions are relatively carefree. They remain (mostly) focused in their task to hurry home as they're shuffled from one peculiar instance to the next. The narrative lacks a sense of urgency, yet there’s something cathartic about the sweet simplicity of Moomintroll’s adventure.

description

Sprinkled with darling illustrations, Comet in Moominland is a gentle tale of friendship and family. ...more

flag 86 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2015 Hilary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-books, family-stories, female-author-or-illustrator, friendship, great-illustrations, moomins

Moomin and Sniff explore a path which leads to the beach, they play, look at nature and find a cave, but they feel uneasy as they start to notice patterns carved into trees and objects, even seagulls arranged into the shape of a star with a tail. Moomin and Sniff set off on a journey to the observatory to find out what is happening.

We really enjoyed the details in this story, and the ideas. Before reading this for the first time as a child I had never thought what the ocean floor would look like ...more

flag 34 likes · Like · see review

May 06, 2013 Manny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone who knows some German

Shelves: well-i-think-its-funny, science-fiction, german-and-dutch, children, swedish-norwegian-and-danish

As I've said many times on this site, I dislike translations on principle - but I am trying to do something about my miserable German, and when I saw this book at Foyles last week it immediately seemed like a good idea. I know the Swedish original well, and I figured that it should be easy to read and would improve my sketchy vocabulary. That worked out even better than I had hoped, and I already feel measurably more confident.

What surprised me, though, was that for once I experienced the trans ...more

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

Feb 29, 2012 Richard Derus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone with an inner child still stirring

Recommended to Richard by: the librarian at Pillow Elementary School in Austin, Texas

This review has been revised and can now be found at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud. ...more

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Jun 19, 2013 Ivonne Rovira rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: lovers of Pippi Longstocking, Beezus and Ramona, and other children's books that speak to adults

Shelves: children-classics, children-literature, favorites

How can it be that, unlike in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, the Moomin sagas never caught on in the United States? Finnish author Tove Jansson's tales of the white, hippo-like Moomintroll and his parents, Moominmamma and Moominpappa, would delight children and parents alike, the latter probably enjoying them even more, as adults can get the sly humor. I simply don't understand how Moominmania could possibly have bypassed the United States when it swept through Europe?

Comet in Moomin ...more

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2008 Manny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children, swedish-norwegian-and-danish, well-i-think-its-funny, strongly-recommended

A beautiful, ironic parody of the Armageddon-style killer meteorite movie, written before any of them existed. There are so many brilliant little details. I particularly loved the out-of-touch astronomers at the observatory, who have calculated exactly when the comet will strike ("possibly four seconds later," they add scrupulously), but seem completely uninterested by the fact that it will wipe out everyone in Moomin Valley.

In case you're worried, though, the Moomin family is more than a match ...more

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Sep 12, 2015 Paul E. Morph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2020

Many years ago I was in hospital with a suspected fractured skull (turned out to be just a bad concussion) and this book was in the hospital book shop. I was not in the mood for anything heavy, for obvious reasons, so I read this, which was my first encounter with the Moomins in book form. I had fond memories of the fuzzy felt tv show when I was a kid but had no idea at the time the show was based on a series of books, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this.

Needless to say, I loved it, and r ...more

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2018 Manybooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tales-fantasy, favourites-read, childrens-literature, book-reviews, translations

This here (and unfortunately also extremely rare and generally rather massively expensive if indeed even available used online) Ravensburger Taschenbücher German language translation of Tove Jansson's Komet im Mumintal (which Swedish language original title on the Goodreads database is Kometer kommer, although Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 translation actually claims the original title to have been Kometjakten) was one of my favourite childhood reads (a book that I received in a large stack of This here (and unfortunately also extremely rare and generally rather massively expensive if indeed even available used online) Ravensburger Taschenbücher German language translation of Tove Jansson's Komet im Mumintal (which Swedish language original title on the Goodreads database is Kometer kommer, although Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 translation actually claims the original title to have been Kometjakten) was one of my favourite childhood reads (a book that I received in a large stack of about twenty Ravensburger Taschenbücher as a birthday present in 1975, a book that I took with me when we immigrated to Canada in 1976 and that I even carried along in my trunk when I went to university in New Brunswick in 1985, where it unfortunately ended up somehow disappearing during one of those silly residence "panty raids" during frosh week, and oh boy, was I ever both sad and seriously, lastingly peeved at that). And honestly, to and for me personally, Vivica and Kurt Bandler's translation (and I finally did locate a reasonably intact and not too shabby copy online a couple of years ago) it still and absolutely feels as THE German language version of Komet im Mumintal I love the most, as the more recent translation by Birgitta Kicherer at least in my opinion leaves much to be desired and in particular that it fails to present far too many important details, such as for example patently ignoring the little silk monkey, who though strangely and incomprehensibly is still featured in Tove Jannsson's accompanying illustrations but textually seemingly forgotten by Kicherer (although according to readers who have read the original Swedish version, Kicherer supposedly does include parts that were left out by the Bandlers, but I for one simply cannot handle the removal of the silk monkey). And sorry, but with Elizabeth Portch's English language translation, with Comet in Moominland (which I did try and originally had quite high hopes for) her writing style, her narrational renderings expression and cadence wise, they just do not at least for me in any way capture the magic of the story, as they tend to make me feel aloof, above and beyond, and not really rooting for and exploring with Moomin, Sniff, Snuffkin and the rest of the group (but just dispassionately observing).

However, while I do personally and always will prefer the Bandlers' 1970 German language translation, their Komet im Mumintal, I would still if recommending this second Moomin novel most definitely suggest Elizabeth Porch's English language translation, I would absolutely recommend Comet in Moominland before I would in any way even consider recommending Birgitta Kicherer's more recent German language translation, as the latter just really and frustratingly bothers me to on end with its additions and especially its subtractions and abridgements (and sorry, but even if it is indeed true that the recent German translation contains parts that appear in the Swedish original and do not appear in the 1970 translation, the little silk monkey has always been a favourite and I was seeing red so to speak when I could not find her textually in the Birgitta Kicherer translation). But if you do speak and read German and are indeed able to find Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 Ravensburger Taschenbücher translation used, yes, consider reading their Komet im Mumintal, with its reddish and orange hued book cover of Moomin, Sniff, Snuffkin et al crossing the evaporated ocean on their stilts, as it truly is a lovely, evocative and fun, as well as occasionally eye-opening romp, a fantastical experience for young and old.

Now with regard to content, what I love the most lastingly about Komet im Mumintal (and actually, this pertains to all of the Moomin books I have read so far) are the delightfully anecdotal episodes, which although generally complete in themselves also never feel as though they are hanging in space so to speak, as though there is not a thread of continuity from beginning to end, with the chapters seamlessly moving from the first inklings that a comet could perhaps be arriving to the fateful day it does (and how close the earth comes to disaster). But for me even more importantly (and probably the main reason why I have always so much adored the Moomin novels both as a child and now as an adult) I have so much appreciated how very much humanely and with personal understanding and supportiveness, Jansson describes and presents her diverse and often rather intriguing characters, and yes that even those individuals who show potentially problematic or negative behaviour patterns (such as Sniff, the Hemulens and even the silent, creepy Hattifatteners) are shown not only as negative but also with positiveness and much authorial understanding (and considering that the Hemulens, for example, with their OCD like obsessions and neuro-atypical ways and means could easily be considered as being on the autism spectrum, the Moomin books are in my humble opinion also interesting and important discussion vehicles, especially considering that these novels were for the most part penned at a time when autism and other such syndromes were not as yet really part of public awareness and the public conscience). ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2007 Suvi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: _book-shelf, children, _europe-northern, 1940-1969

Re-read 02.04.2020
No change in rating.

15.06.2014
Like so many Finnish children of a certain generation, I grew up watching the Moomins tv-series (there are still reruns every once in a while, and the magic has never faded) and visited Moomin World. Now, to honor Tove Jansson's centenary, I started a project of reading all her Moomin books. Maybe the rest of her body of work as well, if I have the time or enthusiasm.

When the 1992 animated movie premiered in Finland, my mom took me to see it. The p Re-read 02.04.2020
No change in rating.

15.06.2014
Like so many Finnish children of a certain generation, I grew up watching the Moomins tv-series (there are still reruns every once in a while, and the magic has never faded) and visited Moomin World. Now, to honor Tove Jansson's centenary, I started a project of reading all her Moomin books. Maybe the rest of her body of work as well, if I have the time or enthusiasm.

When the 1992 animated movie premiered in Finland, my mom took me to see it. The part where Muskrat sits on the cake was funny, but mostly the oppressive mood stayed with me. I don't remember the happy ending, but I do remember the part where creatures big and small were hurrying away from Moominvalley with all their possessions, the frantic search for the kitten, and the red sky that reminded of the impending doom.

The book is very similar to the movie with minor differences (the change of the chump Silk Monkey into a kitten worked better in my opinion), and has echoes of nuclear explosions and their scorching power to destroy everything. Everyone in the valley has their way of surviving in the middle of an increasing dread of an uncertain future. Moominmamma just keeps going with her chores and bakes a cake, but Moomintroll and Sniff travel to the Observatory of the Lonely Mountains to find out more about the approaching comet. On their journey they meet other familiar characters who join the Moomin family.

The contrast between them all works great (Sniff is a selfish whiner, the fickle Snork Maiden is vain and loves beautiful things, and the practical Snork is obsessed about details and having meetings about everything). There's a little of them in all of us. Snufkin is my favorite, and here we meet him for the first time. He sees beauty even in the starkest of sceneries and proves to be a great asset to the group with his experience in adventures.

"It was a funny little path, winding here and there, dashing off in different directions, and sometimes even tying a knot in itself from sheer joy. (You don't get tired of a path like that, and I'm not sure that it doesn't get you home quicker in the end."

...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Jun 10, 2009 Emily rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-happy-childhood, read-aloud

Just revisited this book for the first time in a long while by reading it aloud to my 6 year-old. Two main thoughts:

1. I love Tove Jansson. She always writes with a slightly off-beat charm (one of my favorite bits in this book is the title of the butterfly collecting Hemulin's book, Moths of the Eastern Hemisphere: their Behavior and Misbehavior) and her stories tend to swing uneasily between the surreal (Hattifatteners, anyone?) and the comforting (coffee and cake), a style which I found somew ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2018 Holly Dunn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Just delightful! I never read these as a child, but I believe this is the beginning of a new obsession.

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Dec 07, 2009 Robert rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The Moomins, a family of trolls, have appeared in my life in various ways; I vaguely remember having read (or having been read) one of the novels as a young child - as an older child I remember the animated series on television. I happened across it by accident and spent much time in enjoyable confusion about the names and natures of the seemingly infinite cast of characters. This year I decided I wanted to find out more than my hazy memories could tell me and in the process stumbled across the The Moomins, a family of trolls, have appeared in my life in various ways; I vaguely remember having read (or having been read) one of the novels as a young child - as an older child I remember the animated series on television. I happened across it by accident and spent much time in enjoyable confusion about the names and natures of the seemingly infinite cast of characters. This year I decided I wanted to find out more than my hazy memories could tell me and in the process stumbled across the fact that Tove Jansson had written and drawn a Moomin strip comic for a British newspaper and I acquired the first volume of the collected strip comics and read it. I was pleasantly surprised to find it densely but gently satirical as well as pleased to find that the bizarre imagination (particularly for characters who are mythic or completely invented creatures) was most definitely as I recalled.

This meant I still didn't know what the novels were like, but encouraged by the high quality of the comic strip and my memories, I decided to give Comet in Moominland a go - selected because it was the first written (though not first published, I think) of the Moomin novels.

It turned out to be a delightful, pleasant book, strong on imagined characters and incidental mystery - what is a Snufkin? Just how much difference is there between a Troll and a Snork? Everybody and everything is introduced blithely as if common-place without any real requirement for detailed explanation. Everybody knows what a Hattifattener is, really - description is almost superfluous.

The plot is epic compared to those in the volume of comic strips I read - the fate of Moomin Valley (and the rest of the world, really) is at stake and an arduous journey is undertaken to request knowledge and help in saving the day.

The gentle satire is present but in lesser quantity - a philosopher who states that everything is Unnecessary, is never-the-less rather keen on creature comforts (all the more so because he is a creature - a Muskrat)and not being destroyed by the impact of a celstial body. Not keen enough to actually help avert the crisis, however. The scientists that Moomintroll appeals to for information and help take no interest, but pour out all their knowledge to the Snork Maiden when asked about their work...

Contrast of characters is also used to give a Message about the moral and physical dangers of too much attachment to physical belongings (a sentiment expressed in the comic strip, too). The characters are also used to promote the virtues of friendship and familial love. Moomintroll's faith that his mother, Moominmama will fix everything if only they can get back to her in time, is touching - hasn't there been a time in all our lives when we had absolute faith that Mum could resolve any problem satisfactorily?

I suppose it is not too much of a spoiler to reveal that Moomintroll, friends and family, The Valley of the Moomins and even the rest of the planet survive to return in more books; I look forward to reading them.

I would say that comparing Comic Strip vol.1 to Novel 1, the strip has just a slight edge in my opinion because it is more densely packed with satire, but that a greater focus on plot is suited to the novel as a form, so perhaps each should be enjoyed for their own merits and comparison should not be dwelled on too much.

Now, if only some-one would tell me what order the rest of the novels are meant to be read in....
...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2015 Dov Zeller rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: graphics-comics, kids

Tove Jansson is a genius! Her humor is always understated and overdone -- a unique absurdist matter of fact emotionally evasive and, of course, refreshingly direct, marshmallowy slapstick.

"I can't leave my imperial snorks to the comet!"

I so love the ghost in this one, and the dance, the heroic tree-climbing incident, and the moving of things to "safer places." The disappearing ocean, the pisciculturist, his screaming shrimp, and the fantastic finale.

Jansson makes terrible fun of dramatic tens ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2016 Candace rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Moomin books are always deceptively simple. I love how Jansson balances the matter-of-fact and the bizarre, and always constructs her stories with her characters front and centre, with all their flaws and quirks and earnest humanity. I always feel like I've learned some big things after reading these. I was especially interested in checking this one out as I hadn't read it before, and it's the first appearance of Snufkin, who is in a lot of ways my favourite character. ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2012 Arie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children, fantasy-unusual, in-translation

It's been a long time since I've visited the land of the Moomintrolls, and it truly has not dulled with age. Just as beautiful, interesting and odd as I remember! ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2021 Jay Moran rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Moomintroll thought how frightened the earth must be feeling with that great ball of fire coming nearer and nearer to her. Then he thought about how much he loved everything; the forest and the sea, the rain and the wind, the sunshine, the grass and the moss, and how impossible it would be to live without them all, and this made him feel very, very sad.

I think The Moomins are the antidote to every bad and blue feeling. Glossy with charm and sharp with Jansson’s wit, it’s impossible not to be en ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 13, 2020 Sophie Crane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This is a Corker of a Read, Highly Recommended!

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2020 Ulysse rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, novels, lost-in-translation

Sometimes the only answer is to take out your mouth-organ and play a song about the blue horizon.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2020 ¸¸.•*¨*•♫ Mrs. Buttercup •*¨*•♫♪ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

I can't believe this book was written 40 years after the first one!!! I can totally see the difference. A quick cute read :)) ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

May 12, 2011 ABC rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: older-kids

Well, well, well. A while back, I was originally wary about starting this book because I thought the idea was weird for a children's book. (A comet about to destroy the world.) Comets destroying the world are on my top ten "Scary" list....

Anyway, after months of forgetting about this book and then remembering it, I don't know what made me start it after surving a huge earthquake in real life. (Not very smart of me.) I think that somehow (despite the title) I forgot it was about a comet hurtling ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2016 Mathew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: anthropomorphism, childrens-literature, fantasy, humour, key-stage-1, philosophy, adventure, animals, family, quest-for-knowledge

Why am I so late coming to the Moomins? I must have been crazy. First I loved the comic strips Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 1 and now, with Tove's second Moomin novel read, I have found that I adore her written work as much as her illustrations.
Comet in Moominland involves Moomintroll, Sniff and Snufkin (my fav.) going on an adventure to try and solve the mystery of the looming comet making its way towards earth. They encounter many weird and wonderful creatures on their ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2016 Michael rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, no-longer-own, illustrated

A fantastical, whimsical, comical, almost tragical adventure in which Moomintroll is involved in a child's-eye-view of the impending apocalypse. Along the way, he meets strange characters, some of whom will become beloved friends of both the Moomins and the reader (Snufkin, I'm talking about you!).

It's no spoiler - there's another seven books in the series - to say that everything turns out OK. The enjoyment is in the journey and the heroic and cowardly antics of the Moomins and friends and, for ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2018 Booklepuff rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a 4.5 Stars read for me!

I received the first four newly released Special Edition Moomin books for Christmas and firstly I need to comment on how beautiful they are! The covers, illustrations and extra details are just beautiful and a great quality!

Comet in Moominland was a very fun, adventurous read which introduced all of the main characters! I loved the whimsical nature of the book, in that even with a Comet looming overhead, the Moomintroll and friends still find time to battle a cr ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2008 Katri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

These books are big classics here in Finland, but it had been ages since I'd last read them, so I felt like picking them up again. I'd half forgotten what a charming, unique fantasy world Tove Jansson creates here, with her lovely characters and her use of language (though I read these in Finnish translation from the original Swedish). Somehow books like this comfort me and make me believe that life will be all right. At the same time the books subtly say a lot of things about life and people, w ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2020 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: moomins, fantasy

A visitor from space is hurtling towards Moominland but it isn't friendly, in fact it could cause devastation. Young Moomintroll and his friend Sniff set off to an observatory on a mountain to find out exactly when and where the comet will land.

Comet in Moominland is therefore a tale of their expedition -- but it is not really all about that, for Jansson's story is, as all good stories are, about the people involved and their relationships with each other.

For those, like me, faintly familiar or A visitor from space is hurtling towards Moominland but it isn't friendly, in fact it could cause devastation. Young Moomintroll and his friend Sniff set off to an observatory on a mountain to find out exactly when and where the comet will land.

Comet in Moominland is therefore a tale of their expedition -- but it is not really all about that, for Jansson's story is, as all good stories are, about the people involved and their relationships with each other.

For those, like me, faintly familiar or even strangers to the Moomin tales, it was an adventure in itself to meet with Moomintroll, his family, Sniff, a muskrat, a silk monkey, Snufkin, some Hemulen and others, all with their characteristics and idiosyncrasies.

I have to confess that I never understood the fuss made of the Moomins: I thought they looked sweet, even charming, but I hadn't fallen under their spell, and I was dubious that I would after a few chapters.

And then something magical happened. Instead of a series of chapters with only loosely related incidents, what began to emerge was a picture of relationships. Some of these were close, others a bit fraught; but here were a bunch of disparate creatures thrown together by chance and circumstances who managed to rub along together.

Moomintroll, his family and the related Snorks are friendly cuddly animals, like furry hippos but without the aggression; Sniff is like a hybrid kangaroo rabbit but with short legs; the Hemulen are dour figures with big snouts and shapeless robes; Snufkin is a tramp with a big hat, shepherd's smock and a mouth organ; but essentially these are all human children in disguise. There are humans as such, but the astronomers (grumpy to a man) and the woman in the village shop all refer to the assorted expeditioners as 'children', an indication of how we should regard the inhabitants of this world and with whom young readers (and not so young readers) might choose to identify.

The narrative takes Moomintroll and Sniff through a sequence of landscapes, first through woods to a seashore ringed with cliffs, later on a raft along an increasingly perilous river, up mountains and back across deserts and a terrain from which all water has disappeared. And all through the September and early October days the comet is getting nearer, the sky redder, the atmosphere hotter. Yet the underlying message -- if message there is -- seems to be that it is necessary to take risks, to see what one is capable of, but that there is always the expectation of a loving family to come home to.

Was I charmed? Did I fall under the Moomin spell? I must confess that I suspect I was, and that I'm grateful to all the urgings to try the series and indeed to begin with this, the second of the series of nine. And, as well as the humour, not a little of the enchantment came from Jansson's delightful, delicate line drawings, and especially the scenic landscapes, which one has only to view to fall for, with their vistas and skies drawing the gaze. I'm now contemplating what title should now follow this. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2018 Tracey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Charming and delightful. The illustrations are just as charming. If you haven't met a moomin yet, rectify that asap.
I think I like Snufkin and the Muskrat the most but Moominmamma is the mother all children's books should have, and Moomintroll is simply adorable. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2020 SwedishGeekGirl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sutch a charming read, and the suspense lasted trough the entire novel. Until the last page I was not sure if they would survive the comet XD.
Comet to Moominland by Tove Jansson get a 8.9/10 stars.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 18, 2019 (inactive) rated it liked it · review of another edition

★★★☆☆ | sweet. pure. creative.

this was such a cute story. obviously, i understand i’m not the target audience for this book (i only picked it up because i wanted something quick and fun, and this is one of my friend’s all time favorite book) but i still feel like i can give a quick summary of what i thought. so. here are those scattered thoughts: besides the story being a bit boring at times, it was overall a really nice read that took place in a very unique and intricate world and included a tr ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2010 Kim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, children-s

Hooray, my library seems to be getting in the new editions of the Moomin books! So you can expect more reviews of them from me by and by.

Comet in Moominland was the first full-length Moomin novel, published nearly 65 years ago. (The very first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood came out in 1945, so the Moomins celebrate their 65th anniversary this year.) The Moomin books in general are self-contained enough that the reader can start with any one of them, however, Comet in Moominland in Hooray, my library seems to be getting in the new editions of the Moomin books! So you can expect more reviews of them from me by and by.

Comet in Moominland was the first full-length Moomin novel, published nearly 65 years ago. (The very first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood came out in 1945, so the Moomins celebrate their 65th anniversary this year.) The Moomin books in general are self-contained enough that the reader can start with any one of them, however, Comet in Moominland introduces many of the family characters in the series, including the Snork Siblings and Snufkin, who will go on to become some of Moomintroll's closest friends.

When he finds out a comet is approaching, a panic-stricken Moomintroll decides to find out as much about it as he can, so he and his friend Sniff set off for an observatory high in the mountains. Along the way, they meet with many dangers and new friends, and find out that the comet is heading for Moominvalley itself. Can they get back in time to warn their family and friends?

There are so many things to like about the Moomin books. They are whimsical fantasies peopled with cute and unusual creatures, yet the characters' thoughts, feelings, and behavior are familiar and believable. Throughout Comet, for instance, no matter how scary things get, Moomintroll has faith that his father knows how to fix everything, and that his mother can make everything right. Young children really do think like that. And when Snufkin tells the others of the Snorks, who look just like Moomins but change color with their emotions, Moomintroll is scornful, especially of the lovely Snork Maiden. But he shifts very quickly from feeling threatened by her to talking about nothing else, before the two of them have even met. I must admit, their relationship was one of the things I liked most about the story, as it had all the charm and innocence of first love. It didn't hurt that they took turns rescuing one another, and that while the Snork Maiden is very girly and slightly vain, she is also quite clever and resourceful. No wonder Moomintroll is smitten!

If you have children in need of a bedtime story, you have an excellent excuse to pick up the Moomin books. But if you are simply an adult with a childlike sense of wonder, you're sure to be charmed by them as well.

...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 11, 2018 Lauren (Northern Plunder) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, booksandtea-bookclub, 2018-book-challenge, owned-books

My review was first posted on Northern Plunder, you can read more of my reviews there too.

Comet in Moominland was a present from my lovely Finnish friend Tecsie along with some other good from Finland.

I had intended to read it straight away but I ended up being very lucky as it won the vote for Books and Tea’s read-along for January.

I don’t read a whole lot of Middle Grade books but I’ve seen a lot of art of the Moomin characters and was pretty excited to start it.

Comet in Moominland is listed a ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Librari...: Please add cover	3	10	Mar 21, 2020 08:35AM
Which are the best 4 Moomin books?	3	45	Nov 22, 2019 01:59AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

299 users

Childrens

236 users

Fiction

212 users

Classics

138 users

European Literature > Finnish Literature

68 users

Adventure

45 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

43 users

European Literature > Scandinavian Literature

36 users

European Literature > Swedish Literature

29 users

Novels

22 users

See top shelves…

About Tove Jansson

Tove Jansson

2,498 followers

Tove 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 ...more

Other books in the series

Mumintrollen (1 - 10 of 20 books)

Books by Tove Jansson

The Moomins and the Great Flood (The Moomins, #1)

Finn Family Moomintroll (The Moomins, #3)

More…

News & Interviews

Power, Sister! 20 New Books on Women’s History

Happy Women's History Month! One of the undisputedly good things about modern scholarship is that women’s history is finally getting its due....

Trivia About Comet in Moominla...

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Comet in Moominland

“You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is.” — 157 likes

“But that's how it is when you start wanting to have things. Now, I just look at them, and when I go away I carry them in my head. Then my hands are always free, because I don't have to carry a suitcase.” — 86 likes

More quotes…