The Water Babies

About this book

Tom, a young chimney sweep, escapes a cruel working life by plunging into a river. In the water he becomes a tiny new creature and begins a journey among strange beings who teach him how to understand kindness, pride and responsibility.

Charles Kingsley's fantasy moves through underwater adventures, moral lessons and fierce Victorian satire. The wonderfully named Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby is among the figures who guide Tom's transformation. Warwick Goble's illustrations bring the watery world to life with delicate creatures and luminous scenes. Some of the book's social assumptions belong firmly to its period, but its imaginative landscape remains memorable.