Finn Family Moomintroll - Tove Jansson

This is the Hundred-and-fortieth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

One of my clear memories of Moomin was of the Hobgoblin and his hat, which is a thread woven through this next book of Moonin on my bookshelf. The transformations from the hat are magical (in more ways than one) and a delight but tempered by the thought of the Hobgoblin. I remember so clearly because I was scared and the image of the Hobgoblin on the moon has stayed with me across the decades. I also remembered the ant lion for the same reason. I hadn't remembered the Groke until I came across her but the memory came flooding back.

Tove Jansson is at the top of her craft in this rich, evocative and gripping book.