Moominvalley in November

s befits the time of year, I've been re-reading "Moominvalley in November", the last of nine stories by Tove Jansson. They're aimd at children, but each book is more complex and, in my opinion, better than the last.

Each of the characters has needs, wants, foibles and weaknesses, many of them feeling unfulfilled by the absence of the Moomin family who are away on an adventure related in the previous book, "Moominpappa at Sea".

My favourite character is Toft, a small, shy creature who reads, without understanding, a book with long words about a prehistoric creature, and believes that his imagination has brought it to life in an electrical storm.