"The Spring Tune"

"Snufkin was used to cooking his own dinner. He never cooked a dinner for other people if he could avoid it, nor did he care much for other people's dinners. So many people insisted on talking when they had a meal.
Also they had a great liking for chairs and tables, and some of them used napkins. He even had heard of a Hemulen who changed his clothes every time he was about to eat, but that was probably slander."

I hadn't read any of Tove Jansson's stories and was curious. Since the last story in this collection was a Christmas story, I thought, why not do it now? This collection is thoughtful, humourous, with life lessons to be reminded of -- but not in a "in your face" way -- more, a "read between the lines" way. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of these tales, with standouts being "The Fillyjonk who Believed in Disasters" and the aforementioned Christmas tale, "The Fir Tree". I will be reading more and my nieces, and Liam, need to become aware of Tove Jansson.

only gave it four stars because the themed story collections are even better!

Wonderful. Beautifully written and thought provoking.

This collection defines “enchanting.” I’m in awe that I’ve lived 26 years without the wisdom of Moominmama or the sass of Little My. These characters found a special place in my heart that was just patiently waiting for them to arrive. I leave a star off this rating because I’d love to see the stories thread together in someway, even if it’s just being bookended by Snufkin and the newly named Teety-woo.

These are all so precious. I wish I could bundle in Tove’s mind and live there, I imagine it would be cozy.