Books by Tove Jansson
“I read The Summer Book as an adult, not long after my Mum died. It’s a book about a summer on a Finnish Island, but it’s also a book about grief. It’s about a little girl and her grandmother quietly negotiating the ideas of mortality and bereavement through a series of incredibly delicate and funny conversations. I think it’s probably in my top three most important books to me in my whole life.” Read more...
Melissa Harrison, Environmentalist
Interviews where books by Tove Jansson were recommended
The best books on Summer, recommended by Melissa Harrison
Temperatures ratcheting, tinderbox conditions, a pressure cooker atmosphere… summer is a handy literary shorthand for rising tensions. But in the natural world, summer is a quiet time when the flowers die back and the fruits and seeds are ripening. Here, Melissa Harrison—the novelist, nature writer and podcaster—recommends five of the best summer books, for those who like to read in step with the seasons.
Favourite Books, recommended by Philip Pullman
The author Philip Pullman—creator of the beloved His Dark Materials trilogy, and one of the world’s great storytellers—recommends five of his favourite books: from a fragmentary masterpiece by Fernando Pessoa to P. G. Wodehouse’s comic triumphs.
Children’s Books About Relationships, recommended by Jean Webb
Children’s literature research is one of the most dynamic fields of literary criticism today, says Jean Webb, professor of international children’s literature at the University of Worcester. She picks five books from around the world that shed light on ‘childhood and relationships.’
