When they finally get there, the lighthouse is empty, and the island and its hardy trees and bushes seem to be alive.

Having determined that an island with a lighthouse is calling them, Moominpappa decides that he and his family will sail away and live there. (published in 1945 in Swedish in Helsinki, as Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen) We present the books in chronological order of release of the original Swedish-language versions (some of the titles were later revised), and include a quotation from each to make you smile and think. The English-speaking world became acquainted with Moomintroll and the others in 1950 with Finn Family Moomintroll, while Finnish speakers got their first Moomin picture book in 1952 and their first novel in 1955. The Moomins and the Great Flood, published in Swedish in 1945, was not the first to be translated. The characters attract readers, young and old, with their adventuresome spirit, wisdom, quirkiness, insight and sometimes irreverent attitudes.

The first translated Moomin books appeared in English, and the stories gained a British audience before Finnish-language publishers caught on to how exceptional the Moomins are (Finnish and Swedish are both official languages in Finland). She also wrote other novels and short stories and had a prolific career as an illustrator and painter. Swedish-speaking Finnish artist and author Tove Jansson (1914–2001) wrote and illustrated nine Moomin novels (one is actually a short-story collection), in addition to various picture books and comic strips. The year 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the Moomin books.

Moomin illustrations