Moominpapa At Sea

Moominpappa decides the family needs a new life, loads everyone into a boat and moves them to a lonely lighthouse on a bare island. What follows is one of the most quietly profound things Tove Jansson ever wrote: a story about restlessness and belonging, about fathers and disappointment and the sea, told with such gentleness that children absorb it completely without realising quite how much is going on. This collector's edition, with its original 1950s and 60s artwork and that extraordinary painted cover, is the one to own.

We love it because:

• Of all the Moomin books, this one stays with you the longest. It is beautiful and melancholy and full of the kind of truth that only the very best children's literature contains
• The collector's edition production is exceptional: Tove Jansson's original artwork, newly scanned, with gorgeous endpapers and a proper cloth hardback that feels like the keepsake it is
• The cover alone is worth stopping for: Moominpappa small in his orange boat, the lighthouse looming, the sea enormous around him. It is a painting, really
• For anyone building a Moomin collection, this is an essential, and perhaps the most grown-up of the series in the very best way

What's in the box:

• Hardback, 176 pages
• Full colour illustrations throughout
• Original 1950s and 60s cover and interior artwork, newly scanned
• Published by Sort Of Books

Great for:

• Ages 8 and up, and every adult who loves Tove Jansson
• A gift for a child ready for something deeper and more contemplative, or a beautiful edition for a Moomin-loving grown-up
• Reading together, one chapter at a time, with plenty to talk about afterwards

Important to know:

• Hardback, 176 pages
• Dimensions: 19 x 13.8cm (7.5 x 5.4 in)
• Full colour illustrations
• ISBN: 9781908745705
• Published June 2018