The Dangerous Journey

TOVE JANSSON

NEW TRANSLATION BY SOPHIE HANNAH

Celebrating 60 years of the Moomins in English.

A delightful picture book in rhyme that offers the very last glimpse of Moomin Valley as drawn by Jansson herself.

A little girl is transported with the help of magic glasses from the tedium of a summer afternoon into an exciting world of mangrove swamps, spluttering volcanoes and sea, where birds fly upside down and wild things threaten to pounce. But she is not alone. Old friends from Moomin Valley – Hemulen, Sniff, Snufkin, Thingummy & Bob – have joined her in her journey, and Tooticky too, who rides to their rescue in a stripey balloon.

And who should be waiting to celebrate their safe landing? Why, Moomin of course.

This brand new version of a classic book pairs Jansson’s irresistible artwork with a playful rhyming text by one of Britain’s star poets and calligraphy by Peter Blegvad.

Sophie Hannah, one of England’s most renowned and popular rhyming poets, has written a sensitive and gloriously entertaining adaptation of the text - the perfect match for Jansson’s quirky illustrations. This promises to be one of the most appealing children’s books of 2010.

"In a children’s book there must be a path where the author stands still and the child walks on. A threat or a wonder that is never explained. A face that never shows itself entirely." Tove Jansson

The writer and artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is a Scandinavian national treasure: she has a museum dedicated to her work in her native Finland, and the Moomin characters adorn everything from mugs to schoolbags. Elsewhere, Moomin stories have been published in 35 languages.

"Every so often a writer manages to create an imaginary world so convincingly that thousands of others eventually come to share what in essence was always a highly personal, individual fantasy. Such was the claim for Tolkien’s Middle Earth and Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast, and the same claim can me made for the Finnish writer and artist Tove Jansson." Nicholas Tucker, The Independent

Sophie Hannah is that rare thing: an acclaimed and best-selling poet. Her first book was greeted with amazement. The Poetry Review declared, 'Shall I put it in capitals? SOPHIE HANNAH IS A GENIUS.' Each subsequent collection has been informally more inventive, thematically more complex, yet each has met with a similar welcome. Sophie Hannah is also a bestselling crime writer whose novels have been adapted for television.

Sort Of’s first Moomin book was nominated 2001 Book of the Year by four major newspapers and has been reprinted three times since publication.

The Dangerous Journey makes an ideal gift.

The Dangerous Journey is the last of Jansson’s work to contain pictures of the Moomins and carries a special, if poignant, appeal.

Praise for Jansson’s colour picture books

REVIEWS of The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My

"Brilliant new edition . . . Sophie Hannah’s text teases and beguiles at every turn"
Kate Kellaway, The Observer

". . . charmingly dated but delightfu" The Sunday Times

"A great gift if you are a child, have a child or have ever been a child. Can anyone fail to be enchanted by Tove Jansson’s Moomins?"
Hereford Times

"An effective page-turner . . . loaded with appealing psychedelic characters and exciting, eerie locations"
Times Educational Supplement

". . . appeals to children and adults alike, thanks to Sophie Hannah’s wonderful verse.
Wendy Cope & Toby Clements, The Daily Telegraph

"Full of the particular magic that only Tove Jansson can evoke"
Philip Pullman