The Water-Babies

by Charles Kingsley

Book Overview

Tom, a poor orphan, is employed by the villainous chimney-sweep, Grimes, to climb up inside flues to clear away the soot. While engaged in this dreadful task, he loses his way and emerges in the bedroom of Ellie, the young daughter of the house who mistakes him for a thief. He runs away, and, hot and bothered, he slips into a cooling stream, falls asleep, and becomes a Water Baby.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0681006471
• ISBN13: 9780681006478
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Longmeadow Press
• Length: 279 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Age Range: 8 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 3 and higher

Customer Reviews

A wonderful fairy tale

I enjoyed the story as a child and just recently finished reading it again and it still enchants me. I do suggest that the book be read to a child as a bed time story so it can enjoyed to its fullest over a period of time and when the child has a question the story teller can stop and discuss the child's questions and concerns.

The Water Babies

This book was a wonderful novel to read. It showed how little kids were treated durning this time period. Once the faries found Tom his life changed forever. The author explained how he started out as little boy and saying bad words to how he changed and in to a understanding boy. The book is a wonderful read because it shows what happens to others who don't know what it's like. Not all of this is true because it is a fairy tale. The author's one quote that stayed with me the most is "You're not supposed to belive all of this because it's a fairy tale even if you do believe. This is a powerful story and should be read to little children. It will show them that being bad is not the way to go. If kids learn tpo be nice when they are young then it can stop hatred and people being mean in future years.

British Fairy Tale: Ahead Of Its Time

The Water Babies is an excellent example of British Literature that should be promoted just as much as the works of Lewis Caroll or Dickens. Charles Kingsley's work was banned for quite a while. There is no question that this cleverly written fairy tale has a lot of hidden information to explore. Makes one wonder if one can still be an Anglican minister and promote evolution? Perhaps, one can. Mr. Kingsley has other wonderful works to explore and in addition, there is his niece, Mary Kingsley who wrote on Africa.

It will finally be reprinted!

I read Kingsley's The Water Babies in 1976 when I received a very old copy of it as a gift. I have always loved babies and this book delighted me. It is both sad and wonderful. Read it as soon as it is released -- you won't be wasting time.