Note: This was the first Moomin story written and the first one published. However, it is sometimes listed as the second book in the series because most major characters were introduced in the next book. First English translation in a limited edition in 2005. The author began writing the story in 1939, then set it aside. It was finished and published in 1945. From the author's 1991 "Preface" to the 2012 edition, viewed via as "Look Inside!" at Amazon UK, apparently p9-11 of the 2012 hardcover ed.: "It was the winter of war, in 1939. One's work stood still; it felt completely pointless to try to create pictures. ... [Rather than traditional fairytale characters, I] chose instead my angry signature character from the cartoons, and called him the Moomintroll. The half-written story was forgotten until 1945. ..." Jansson undertook a revision sometime after 1956 (when asked by the publisher for a new edition), but it came to no fruition for a long time. (from German Wikipedia)

Synopsis: Moominmamma and Moomintroll are travelling through a dark and scary forest looking for Moominpappa, who has gone off adventuring with the Hattifatteners. They meet a little creature, who joins them (in later books he is named Sniff). They use a glowing tulip to light their way, and are attacked by a giant serpent whilst crossing a swamp. They are saved when a beautiful young girl with shining blue hair called Tulippa emerges from the tulip and scares the serpent away. They later arrive at a mountain and find the home of an old man, who invites them to live in his garden, which is made entirely of sweets. However, when they find out that the sun is really a giant lamp and there's no real food, they leave and continue their journey, travelling through the mountain to the beach on the other side. On the beach, Moominmamma gets attacked by an ant-lion, but Moomintroll and the others manage to save her. Deciding to move on, they come across a group of Hattifatteners about to set sail on a boat, and join them. A storm strikes, but a sea-troll helps them out and navigates the boat to a large harbour where they go ashore. Parting ways with the Hattifatteners, they travel inland and meet a boy with red hair who lives in a lighthouse. Tulippa decides to stay with him, but the others set out after Moominpappa when they learn from the boy that he had passed through recently. Soon a rainstorm that lasts for several days causes a flood, and Moominmamma saves a family of cats. When the rain stops, they sail across the flooded landscape on an armchair and find a message in a bottle from Moominpappa, saying he has escaped the flood by climbing up a tree. As the water starts going down, they finally reach dry land and start searching for Moominpappa. Unsuccessful at first, they finally find him with the help of a marabou stork who flies them up into the air. Reunited, the Moomin family and the little creature travel on until they find the house Moominpappa had built, carried into a small valley by the flood, and decide to live there. (taken from Wikipedia)