|
Who Will Comfort Toffle?
TOVE
JANSSON
NEW
TRANSLATION BY SOPHIE HANNAH
|
|
|
 Following
the success of their children's classic, The
Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My, Sort Of Books is
delighted to present Tove Jansson's equally magic and universally
appealing story of Toffle, a lonely, timid creature’s journey
in search of friendship and confidence.
 Who
Will Comfort Toffle? A tale of Moomin Valley
sees Toffle driven from his home by the frightening noises of
the forest. Too shy, at first, to approach the many colourful
Moomin characters he passes along the way, he gains confidence
by discovering a scared and lonely Miffle who needs his help.
Toffle's quest to save Miffle from the dreadful Groke is an
inspiring tale that every child (and many adults) are sure to
identify with. In Scandinavia, this story by Tove Jansson is
even more popular than her Moomin books; in the 43 years since
first publication it has never once been out of print.
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 2003.
|
|
 "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.
|
|
Praise
for Tove Jansson
|
 "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
|
 |
"Some
writers have the gift of being able to construct an entire coherent
and detailed world and to people it with more or less human creatures
out of their imagination . . . Somewhere at the top of any list
would be Tove Jansson." Thomas
Warburton, Virtual Finland
"Few
illustrators come near the economy, individualism and occasional
well-placed twinge of creepiness that Tove Jansson brought to
her sketches . . . should be on every child’s shelf. Sarah
Johnson, The Times |
|
 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. Her latest
book, 'First of the Last Chances', was published in 2003.
|
|
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. Toffle is all set to do even better.
|
|
Toffle
is the most popular of all Jansson’s children’s stories
and holds a very special place in Finnish people’s hearts.
Who
Will Comfort Toffle? makes
an ideal gift. |
|
|
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
". . . 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
|
|
"An
effective page-turner . . . loaded with appealing psychedelic
characters and exciting, eerie locations"
Times Educational Supplement
"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
". . . charmingly dated but delightfu" The
Sunday Times |
| For
details of rights available please email
Natania
Jansz
at Sort Of |
|
Age
Four to Infinity
Pub date October 2003
ISBN 0-93522-7-2
Price
£8.99
Format Hardback (210 x 285 mm)
Extent 28 pp
Illustration Full colour throughout |
|
| PUBLICITY
RESOURCES click > hold down and download to disk |
 |
Sort
Of Books [about
us] are distributed worldwide, excluding
North America by the Penguin Group.
For editorial, publicity
and rights enquiries please email Natania
Jansz |
 |
|
