I received this lovely postcard from a mom from the capital city of Finland, Helsinki. I have been receiving bundles of postcards from Finland since last April and this really caught my attention. It then led me to explore more on the author’s name that written on the postcard.
Tove Jansson (1914-2001), who was a Swedish-speaking Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator cum comic strip author. Her most remarkable works were Moomin collections whereby it featured a family of trolls who has white, round and furry in appearance and also a large snout which makes them look like hippopotamus. Her works were not only gained popularity among the children, but also they were highly appreciated by adults, this makes me feel even stronger to read her books.
And I especially like this quote:
"Every children's book should have a path in it where the writer stops and the child goes on. A threat or a delight that can never be explained. A face never completely revealed." (Tove Jansson in Moominvalley, ed. by Mirja Kivi, 1998)
Look back to those fairy tales or story books that I have read when I was small, it seems there was no one book had left such great impact to my life. I always think that children book is one of the important respects to shape a kid’s thinking and how they perceive things in life. So, for those kids who have been reading Jansson’s works or any other series of children book, I’m sure it has definitely added some positive values to their growth.
There was no one had ever sung me a lullaby or read me a bed time story during my childhood. However, if I have my little one in future, I’ll be glad to sing her a lullaby or read her a bed time story everyday as to offset what I have missed out during my childhood time.
Thanks again for the mom who has sent me this inspiring postcard, it really adds something new to my life ^^