The story reveals a lot about who Charles Kingsley really was, a good person with a lot of interests. The Bio included was taken from a lot of his wife's writings about him. Some of his poetry is included at the back and there is a list of titles in the King's Treasuries Series from spine number 231 to 258. ( )

Tom, an ill-treated chimney-boy, jumps into a cool stream to clean the soot off himself - and becomes a water baby, cleaner and happier than he has ever been, in a fairy world under river and sea. Meeting beautiful and frightening creatures, Tom travels to the Other-end-of-Nowhere on an unforgettable voyage of discovery.

Simon Vance did a fabulous job narrating this dear classic. I had to pick this up after reading Mother Carey's Chickens with my book group. A very old fashioned morality tale. I was a little startled to have an otter be evil and whales to be bad guys. Interesting how these animals have come to be more friendly and acceptable. I enjoyed it. ( )

Words cannot express the depths of my loathing for this story. The only redeeming thing about this particular volume is that it has lovely painted illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith (but the drawings on every page rarely match the story). The fantasy/political commentary that Lewis Carroll perfected so beautifully 10 years later is a disaster of disjointed obnoxiousness in Kingsley. He is the king of the run-on sentence. His story-telling reminds me of a six year old little boy on a fast-moving train describing everything he sees without pausing for breath. For 400 miles.

Besides the fact that it's just a horribly-written piece of mind-numbing blathering, it angered me in other ways. Kingsley was a preacher but he obviously thought he was too smart for his Bible. The story is very pro-evolution ("water is the mother of all living things"). In fact, the story gives us a good look at how the theory of evolution caused the church to fall away. Kingsley is writing to families and at least two generations grew up influenced by this popular book until its racist bits moved it, rightfully so, to the back of the classic literature shelf. It's funny (in a sad way) how ignorant "learned" people can sound talking about science contrary to reason.

One thing, ONE, actually intrigued me: the reference to the Cheshire Cat. I thought this was a creation of Carroll's, but it's not even a creation of Kingsley's. In fact, "grinning like a Cheshire Cat" had been a popular phrase for awhile and is believed to have it's roots in an 18th century cheese brand who used a smiling cat as its logo.

To top it all off, biographical research tells me he insulted Nathaniel Hawthorne. That's an immediate dismissal from me. He and Mark Twain (who insulted Jane Austen) can go pick their arrogant noses in a corner somewhere and let the masters remain.

I suppose if there's anything positive to be said on the story it's that Kingsley takes the side of the underdog in many conversations on social injustice. Many of the Water-Babies are like Tom---neglected and orphaned children who are given a better (after)life. But why would a Christian preacher mention Heaven and the Lord? Oh no...Kingsley brings them back to the primordial soup from which they began.

At least I crossed another book off my 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. However, I think I could have died happily not wasting my time on this drivel. ( )

Had this read aloud to me and thoroughly enjoyed it. ( )

Have just re-read this, maybe for the first time since childhood (about 10?) It is much stranger than I remembered, and the second part, where Tom wanders about having impromptu and rather dull adventures/conversations, is not as good as the first. I can see that Kingsley genuinely wanted to improve the lot of chimney sweep children, and was trying to marry Darwin's theory of evolution with Christian ethics (evolution = moral improvement), but he is so bossy and hectoring and full of himself. Also quite cruel in some scenes, despite advocating kindness, and as for the racism.... !
This edition has Edward Linley Sambourne's rather scary and vivid illustrations from 1885 (not credited however).

Short and interesting as a fairy tale but there is a lot to cringe about when the narrator talks about Irish and Scottish folks. There are also a lot of words, places, etc, that are either completely made up or beyond my knowledge. You are assumed to be English when reading this book and apparently a child too. Therefore, it's more a thing to study as to the time of Charles Kingsley than to read for pleasure. I can't imagine me understanding a thing when I was a child.

"The most wonderful and the strongest of things in the world, you know, are just the things which no one can see.'

First published in 1862 Reverend Charles Kingsley’s classic novel about a young chimney sweep who after falling into a river finds himself transformed in to an aquatic creature, a 'Water Baby'. The tale begins relatively realistically, and when Tom plunges into the water in becomes a mix of social and scientific satire.

This story is far more than a simple fairy tale, in parts it's a political tract. Kingsley was appalled by the plight of the young sweeps, condemned by their brutal masters to a life of misery and, often, early deaths, if not from falls then from lung disease or cancer. This book so horrified its readers, young and old alike, that it was instrumental in a new law reforming the working conditions of countless young boys forced to crawl up inside chimneys in order to clean them.

Initially written for Kingsley’s four-year-old son and published just three years after Darwin's ' On the Origin the Species', which shook Victorian Christian beliefs. Like Darwin, Kingsley took a keen interest in nature and science, some would even argue that this novel mirrors Darwin's theories on evolution, only in this case in the afterlife. Tom evolves due to education by his elders and experience. However, this is also a Christian parable that warns against the dangers of not being baptised in the Christian faith and the merits of treating others as you would want to be treated and the notion of eye for an eye.

This book is undoubtedly an important piece of social history but it's also an uncomfortable read. It's littered with archaic phrases and bloated sentences but most worryingly of all is the almost nonchalant use of sexist and racist (especially against the Irish) undertones throughout that simply would not be acceptable today. I personally would never recommend it being read to youngsters, hence the lowly mark. ( )

Comes across a bit like pilgrims progress or dantes inferno, sort of a journey through the afterlife but way weirder. Not bad at all, quite dark when you think about it as main characters are dead children. ( )

This is stated to be a fairy tale. Naturally, because it was written in the mid-19th century, it's highly moralistic. The idea is to teach young'uns how to be good little boys and girls and grow up to be fine men and women.

Anyway, it's the story of a benighted chimney sweep's helper, Tom. Tom is abused by his master, but doesn't expect much better. But, they go off to a fancy house, and Tom gets lost in the chimney flues and creates rather a ruckus when he comes out in the wrong place, a filthy, little, soot-encrusted urchin, in a room of gentile women and girls all in frilly white. Something like that. The girls scream, of course and Tom flees to save his life.

Tom ends up "falling" into a river and is carried away, essentially to be cleansed and turned into a good person. So, he plays with creatures for a time, but then a good fairy sets him on a quest for redemption, one part of which is to find a way to reconcile with and also redeem his nasty master.

Well, this reads like a bed time story made up by a drunk uncle who has to go on and on because the damn kids won't fall asleep. So there are all sorts of asides and cataloging of creatures and the like. It's rather tedious and confusing in parts, but in the end, it's not too bad a read. And, here we find out about Mother Carey's Chickens, the stormy petrels who go out to bring the good birds home.
( )

Here's something that's been on my TBR shelf literally since before I was born. My mother kept her own copy, an award from a 1925 school essay contest in Ottawa, at the cabin we went to in Quebec every summer. I don't recall her ever reading it to me, but since her death it's been on my own shelves and I finally decided I couldn't let another 70 years go by without reading it.

10-year-old Tom, a poorly treated chimney sweep, completely uneducated and social untrained, loses himself in a complex chimney system and comes down in the bedroom of a family's young daughter. He's assumed to be a thief and is chased hither and yon by a crowd, finally escaping them only to drown not too far away. He's taken in hand by fairies and turned into a water baby, promptly forgetting his past and having numerous adventures with all sorts of real and (to us) unreal creatures. Along the way he's taught good behavior in ways some educators might find useful. Two of his teachers are Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid and her sister, Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby.

It's a charming book, with but a few phrases that are now politically incorrect. I was actually surprised it wasn't worse, to be honest. The content that I found most jarring was the occasional veiled reference to a holy child, which seemed completely out of place in the middle of a fairy tale. I went back and read the book's description in "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die", which pointed out that this was written only a couple of years after publication of "On The Origin of Species" and was very much concerned with evolutionary progression and regression.

At any rate, it's a charming tale and it was a pleasure to finally read it. ( )

Tom, a young chimney-sweep in Victoria England, escapes the abuse of Mr.Grimes, his boss, and quickly finds himself in an adventure saga under the sea. This adventure is for Tom an exploration of the big world and its inhabitants, as well as a teaching of how to be good in the world. I appreciate the little nuggets of wisdom.

This novel may not be accessible for today's youth. The language is dense and unfamiliar in places, and the plot rambles on. I stuck with it, but novice readers may not have the stamina. ( )

After having slogged through The Water Babies once again I have come to the conclusion that that had it not been for the glorious illustrations of Jessie Wilcox Smith I might never return to this moralistic fairy tale. What I once found clever in my youth I now find repellent. ( )

The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby by Charles Kingsley
Summary:
This children’s fantasy book tells an amazing tale of a poorly treated boy, an English chimney sweep set in the mid 1800’s, Tom, who after falsely accused of a crime runs for his life to find himself turned into a water-baby by fairies. The illustration in the children’s book has much to say about the character and lends meaning to the text with simple pencil sketches of the appearance of what a 3.97802-inch water-baby would look like; depicted as how one would be in nature, there was no indecency as some may argue of the naked child caricature; innocence was what I saw in the simple sketches drawn by a reverend. This fantastic story has symbolism of one’s journey through life and the challenges we must overcome to get to our final destination. It even has a message for the abuser. We have much to learn from this author about social observations he has wittingly placed throughout the book and those in its final pages. A great read for all ages and a wonderful children’s book to share at bedtime with a traditional theme of good against the wicked and a certain twist when the wicked has been forced to see the nature of their way and given one chance to make it right. The story provides final words of wisdom to not become an etch from a water-baby.
Personal Reaction:
I was by today’s standards, emotionally and physically abused and found this story to work with me on so many levels. The character of our protagonist is naïve yet open to experience; frail and tiny but brave and true to his word. Abused by his master, Tom accepted his fate as just the way it was and not so bad; the undeserved beatings hurt less than the job. It was not until he feared for his life that he made an escape. In so many situations we see what we want to see often leading to missed information and sometime permanent harm to the victim and in this case to the town that search with no success once the folly was understood. The integral setting allowed me to live, breath, touch and feel every new experience Tom endured during his adventure to adulthood.

Classroom Extension Ideas
1. This is too much to read in any one setting but for an older child assignment, it has a story for the abused and how to not be the victim. It screams resilience of children and a coping attitude. All children would benefit from the understanding that is so right there to see.
2. Teachers could break this story into parts; assigning some to discovering what it says about abuse; others to what it says about the abused and others assigned to report how the community of fairies were able to service the victim and then others on how some of the community allowed the abuse to go on, had biased opinions and prejudice of appearance.
3. During the week or month that highlights zero tolerance for child abuse: children assigned to read this great piece of children’s literature can bring in stories from information sources about what their community offers as help services and why it is important to understand report procedures. How it is not acceptable for educators to ignore the signs of abuse. ( )

I think this short story is in one of the volumes of My Book House, which I own
I don't really remember much of it, except that it's really quite a strange story ( )

I had the hardest time reading this book. The wording is so off and the plot makes such little sense to me. I do not like it. ( )

This book was read to me when I was five years old, horrifying me then and ever since. As the story goes, chimneys were difficult to clean so they sent a small boy up inside it to do the cleaning. Why? It was his job. Why wasn't he in school? School was only for fortunate children. What did his parents do about it? No mention. Who looked after him? No one. Did the boys die up the chimney? Sometimes.

Then it goes on to describe babies in a weedy pond, the illustrations showing them peering out of their watery prison that is like a giant green goldfish bowl. I never found out why. Just how bad do you have to be to live in this world?

I have since found out the story was part of Kingley's "scientific theory" on human origins. Oh, perfect for a child's entertainment!

Kingsley was a priest of the Church of England and evidently believed that horror stories would keep his congregation into line. He was the worst kind of Victorian patriarch.

My grade one teacher has a lot to answer for by giving me this lifelong nightmare. ( )

Don't remember much about this now, but I read this several times in childhood. Reckon the last time would’ve been when I was eight or nine, circa 1983-4.

A must for all youngsters! ( )

This isn't one of my all-time favorite children's books – far from it, and I'm not at all an admirer of Kingsley personally – and I'd ordinarily give it 3*** or, perhaps generously, 3½***; but this particular edition rates 5***** for the illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith, who in fact rates 5***** or at least near to it for just about every work of illustration she ever did! ( )

This children's classic reflects the culture of the time in which it was written. The writing describes the fanciful journey of an abused chimney sweep who finds refuge with the fairies. Many quote worthy passages mixed with some racial stereotyping make for an interesting read. ( )

Young Tom is an orphan in mid-nineteenth century London who is apprenticed to a chimney sweep who treats him harshly. While cleaning the chimneys in a large manor house, Tom gets lost in the maze of chimneys and lets himself down into the wrong room where he is mistaken for a thief. He is chased for miles across the countryside before coming to a stream where he decides to clean himself. The fairies in the stream turn him into a water baby, and he forgets his past life. He spends years playing in the stream and the ocean with other water babies before setting out on a journey in which he will learn enough to become a man. Kingsley uses the novel as a commentary on several social issues of his day, including Darwinism and religion.

Although this was seen as a children’s book when it was published, there is a lot under the surface of it for adults. I enjoyed the playful tone of the narrator and the social commentary. The last chapter threw me off, however. It went off in a really weird direction, and I had a hard time following it. ( )

Part of the school curriculum. Can't remember that much about it apart from thinking it was all a bit weird ( )

The protagonist of this book is Tom, a naughty young boy who works under a cruel master as a chimney sweep. One day he gets himself into trouble, runs away and falls into a river where he is transformed into a "water-baby", able to live among the fishes. Tom is anxious to meet other water babies, but first he has to learn to be nice and well-behaved. He meets a lot of underwater animals- otters, lobster, different kinds of fishes- and fairies. Through his interactions in the underwater world, Tom slowly learns his moral lessons, eventually going off to save his old master from punishment for wrongdoings, and making his way back to land. My main enjoyment of the story is in the unfolding of Tom's character- he's quite a cheeky boy, curious and unafraid to ask questions of anyone (although the answers often puzzle him at first). His transformation out of ignorance and selfishness is nicely done. I also like reading about all the different creatures Tom encounters- their personification mostly reflects the natural behavior of said animals, and it's not many books you come across that feature talking salmon, lobsters and dragonflies. A delightful book, but one that I think should be read with the outlook of its time well in mind.

Because The Water Babies is a didatic tale, heavily reflecting the Victorian ideas of its time. It is full of stiff moral lessons, crammed with Christian perceptions of guilt and redemption, and spouts off a lot of prejudiced criticisms of different groups of people- including Jews, Catholics, Americans and the Irish (these parts have often been removed from later editions). I am not sure if I have ever read an unabridged version. And although it is usually classed as a children's book, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable reading it to my daughter without verbally editing lots of those heavily opinionated passages. It's very interesting to read the wiki article about this book, which tells me that among other things, Kingsley wrote it as a piece of satire. Moralism and satire aside, it's a tender and curious story, full of interesting characters and lively adventures.

from the Dogear Diary ( )

This was not for me. Yes, I understand the importance of the book at time, how it was a satire on Darwin’s classic and the fact that it predates Alice in Wonderland did impress me when I compared their publication dates. But it just got on my nerves after about chapter three and from then on right until the end where, confronted with the most ridiculous last line in the history of literature, my patience gave way entirely.

So what irritated me? Well, the awful patronising tone of Kingsley the narrator who writes as if everyone is a) male and b) white Caucasian and c) wealthy, educated, clean and morally superior. It’s patronising and prejudiced in the extreme and pulls no punches in its portrayal of the Scots, the Irish, the Jews, etc.

There’s this kid Tom who ends up going up one chimney and coming down the wrong one in some massive house which just happens to border some land which contains a stream where, for fear of his life, he flees and, somehow, becomes a Water Baby, some kind of waterbound fairy.

He then undertakes, for reasons not apprent to me, some epic quest to get to the Back End of Somewhere or the Bottom Side of Everywhere or somesuch meaningless location. Along the way, he meets a range of fantastic beings who are loosely based on magical interpretations of real life beings. Most are as patronisingly moralising as Kingsley himself so there’s really no let up. The story’s really not that interesting actually. You certainly don’t really care what happens to Tom. If he’d been eaten by a pike, I don’t think I would have noticed actually.

Of course, he achieves his aim, but this is by means of passing some kind of moral litmus test of doing something right even though it’s not something he wants to do. The implication is that our highest moral deeds are those which are done in the face of extreme distaste.

That’s a great shame for people like Mother Theresa whose entire life’s work count for nothing because they actually love people and want to help them. Bummer. Yep, next time I actually want to inconvenience myself for the sake of others, I’ll think twice before doing so and wait until I really, really, deep, deep down in my heart don’t want to at all. Then it will count.

But, count for what exactly? For nothing at all of course. Kingsley seems to have believed that you attain some kind of moral status by piling up good actions one after another (all without wanting to of course). What a sad fallacy for such an intelligent man to propound. No matter what we do in this life, we’re all so far short of moral perfection that we all pretty much look the same from the viewpoint of moral purity.

Anyway, all loose ends are neatly tied up and put to bed with a kiss and a warm glass of milk. Then, after having said repeatedly every other paragraph that just because someone says something is not true, that doesn’t mean it isn’t, the epilogue tells you not to bother believing a word of anything you’ve just read even if it is true. Great. Thanks.

Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are so, so much better at giving us a satirical insight into ourselves and our lives than The Water Babies there’s hardly any comparison between them. Lewis Carrol was a genius who took Kingsley’s timebound witterings and made them into a timeless literary classic which both children and adults will treasure for hundreds of years to come, long after the last person has read that pointless last line of The Water Babies for the last time in human history. ( )

this edition had a lot of notes to help you understand the references. i didn't enjoy them so stopped and enjoyed the book a lot more. the story is a good one but kingsley makes all these weird references and silly jokes. i think he was trying to be lewis carroll. kids would never understand them and their readers would have trouble. bought in florida ( )