The Moomins and The Great Flood

Originally published in Finland in 1945, this is the first ever Moomin Book. Jansson's prose is evocative and lyrical, and her illustrations — made with sepia watercolors and pen and ink drawings — are dreamy and strange. Moominmamma and Moomintroll wander through a dark forest and across a flooded landscape searching for the lost Moominpappa, picking up companions along the way. As Tove Jansson explains in the preface, she created the story in the midst of war, reaching for fairytales and happy endings as an antidote. This edition is particularly beautiful  — small and slender, the cover in pinks, greens, and greys.