Who Will Comfort Toffle?

Who Will Comfort Toffle?
Tove Jansson ~ translated by Kingsley Hart
not sure of the original publisher but mine is Schildts, 1960
set for reprint in November 2010 by Drawn and Quarterly
Original title: Vem ska trösta knyttet?

And since I mentioned Moomin this morning... time to pull out the second volume (after The Book of Moomin, Mymble and Little My) in the picture book series. I'll skip the introductions as by now you should all know a little something about the Moomins, if not simply click here.

In this book we meet Toffle.

Now once upon a time, although not very long ago, 

And hidden in the forest where the tall dark pine trees grow,

There lived a boy named Toffle in a house that stood alone,

He always felt so lonely, and one night was heard to moan:

"I feel so frightened of the dark, especially tonight,

Perhaps I'll feel a bit more safe if all my lamps I light,

And if that doesn't really help, then into bed I'll creep

And cover up my head and try to cry myself to sleep."

Pitiful, no? The night is spooky and there is no one there to comfort poor Toffle, so he takes off in search of... something. But the more he walked the lonelier he grew. Strangers everywhere, too afraid to make a friend... until he finds a message in a bottle that shows him he is not so alone.

Quirky and way out-there for many an American sensibility, all the Moomin tales are filled with heart and deep soul sifting, something my child (for one) knows all about. The pursuit of home and love and purpose begins the moment we are born, and these books are a wonderful compendium for your child's search for self.

Also by: The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My

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