The Water-Babies A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby

"Tom, a young chimney sweep, toils under the misery of his horrendous job and cruel boss, Grimes, until fairies turn him into a water-baby - an underwater sprite. Plunged into a fantastical world under the sea, Tom encounters many adventures and learns valuable lessons from all sorts of sea creatures including their rulers, Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid and her sister, Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby. Under their tutelage, Tom embarks on a daring rescue and regains his human form once again. Instantly popular upon its initial publication in 1863, The Water-Babies is at once a skillfully woven moral allegory and a bewitching childhood fantasy."--BOOK JACKET.

Charles Kingsley (1819-û1875) 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.