The first book that I read this year was... Moominland Midwinter by Finnish author Tove Jansson. Surprisingly, Moomins are not known everywhere but in Poland this was very popular cartoon when I was a kid. Somewhere inside, although the number of candles on birthday cake is growing dangerously, I am still a kid and love fairytales. And Moominland Midwinter is just perfect story for this time of the year.
Moomins fall into winter hibernation each year but this time the Moomintroll wakes up suddenly in the middle of the winter and cannot fall asleep anymore. His family sleeps soundly, Snufkin is gone till spring and the world outside is... lost under the deep duvet of snow. Reading this story is like discovering winter once again because that's what Moomintroll does, only he does it for the first time in life. Lonely at first, he soon becomes accompanied by a bunch of little creatures and animals that come to his house in search for shelter... and strawberry jam. Moomintroll, in the beginning miserable about the winter, slowly accustoms to it and maybe even starts to like it. Sounds nice, huh?:)
I have also made quite a discovery (that is probably nothing new to those who read Moomins stories but it is new to me). As a kid I only watched the cartoon and never read the books before. Now who watched it too, put your hands up if you were scared of The Groke!
Turns out this scary Groke, my childhood fear is not a bad creature. She's just lonely! She looks for warmth but wherever she comes everything freezes. No wonder noone wants to be close to her. Poor Groke:( *hug*
