The Water-babies (Puffin Classics) - Softcover

Kingsley, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140367365 ISBN 13: 9780140367362

Publisher: Puffin, 1995

Synopsis

When Tom, an ill-treated little chimney-sweep, jumps into a clear, cool stream to clean himself something magical happens; he is turned into a tiny water baby by the fairies. He enters a strange, magical underwater world, and travels beyond the world's end to the other end-of-nowhere, getting into all sorts of scrapes and encountering creatures beautiful and frightening along the way. He also learns many important lessons - it is a voyage of discovery that Tom will never forget.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Among the most popular children’s books of the Victorian period, The Water-Babies continues to delight readers of all ages. It tells the story of a young boy named Tom, who escapes his harsh life as a chimney sweep by being transformed into a “water-baby.” His adventures underwater introduce him to strange animals, gentle fairies, and exotic seascapes, and Kingsley frequently digresses from the mythical narrative with his commentary on political and scientific topics. Many of Linley Sambourne’s remarkable illustrations from the 1886 edition are included in the text of the novel.

This Broadview edition reproduces the first edition of The Water-Babies, published in 1863. The appendices include a broad selection of other 19th-century children’s literature and excerpts from Kingsley’s essays on evolution, hygiene, and education.

About the Author:

Charles Kingsley (1819–1875) was an Anglican minister, the Regius Professor of History at Cambridge, and the author of numerous novels, including Westward Ho! He also wrote poetry, sermons, and magazine articles. Richard D. Beards is an associate professor of English at Temple University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0140367365
• ISBN 13: 9780140367362
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256