“Must you be so poetic?” said Sniff.

“Tell me some more about your valley,” she said to Moomintroll.

“It’s the most wonderful valley in the world,” he answered. “There are blue-trees with pears growing on them, and chatterfinches sing from morning till night, and there are plenty of silver poplars, which are wonderful for climbing—I thought of building a house for myself in one of them. Then, at night, the moon is reflected in the river, which tinkles over the rocks with a sound like broken glass, and pappa has built a bridge that is wide enough for a wheelbarrow.”

“Must you be so poetic?” said Sniff. “When we were in the valley you only talked about how wonderful other places were.”

“That was different,” said Moomintroll.

“But it’s true,” said Snufkin. “We’re all like that. You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is.”

—Tove Jansson, Comet in Moominland