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The Water Babies

Children's Classic Compendium Black Beauty / Wind in the Willows / The Water Babies
Author: Anna Sewell, Kenneth Grahame, Charles Kingsley

Three classic tales in one volume: — Black Beauty was the only book written by Anna Sewell, although its continued popularity among children, particularly girls, has justified that effort. Sewell was, remarkably, paid only twenty pounds for the book and it was published three months before her death, in 1877. However, it... more »s immediate success gave her great pleasure and she died in the knowledge that the book had indeed encouraged people to treat animals less cruelly. It is the autobiography of a horse, the "Black Beauty" of the title, who narrates it. Through various owners who ask different tasks of Black Beauty, he grows and has numerous adventures. He goes from being a riding and carriage horse through being a mistreated town cab horse to eventual happiness in a secure home. Notably, the animal keeps strength and good temper throughout his suffering. The story was extremely influential as pro-animal propaganda but it is also an extremely exciting and moving children's story. (179 pages)

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame opens with Mole leaving his spring-cleaning and going above ground to explore the world beyond his burrow. Making friends with Ratty, the two become inseparable and together they spend long summer days enjoying the delights of the river and its banks. Then they meet the impetuous Toad and the distinguished though slightly stern Mr Badger and find themselves caught up in a series of adventures to rescue Toad from his own reckless behavior and return him safely to Toad Hall. Stolen cars, prison sentences, daring escapes, and dastardly villains all feature in this classic tale of high-adventure and rock-solid friendship. The Wind in the Willows is a story full of beautifully-drawn characters. (187 pages)

The Water Babies is the story of Tom, a young boy who is a chimney sweep employed by the brutal bully Mr. Grimes. Falling down a chimney, Tom finds himself in the presence of a girl called Ellie. Her cleanliness and neatness makes Tom aware for the first time of his own dirty blackened body. He is chased out of Ellie's house and falls into the river where he enters a magical underwater world and becomes a water-baby. Like Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or White's The Sword in the Stone, this tale explores the possibilities of an alternative world following certain transformations. Here we meet the caddis fly, the salmon and other creatures that teach Tom morality. Readers will be carried away by the fantasy and its sense of hope and possibility in life just as Queen Victoria was (she read it to her children and appointed the author canon of Westminster). The famous characters of Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby and Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid appear in the story, and Kingsley portrays the water world in consistently vivid and exciting manner. The serious issues of whether enforced child-labor is immoral and of how the poor should be treated are major themes in this landmark children's tale. (151 pages)

ISBN-13: 9780752530154
ISBN-10: 0752530151
Publication Date: 1999
Pages: 517
Rating:

Currently 3.8/5 Stars.

3.8 stars, based on 2 ratings

Publisher: Parragon Publishing
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Children's Books >> Animals >> Frogs & Toads
Children's Books >> Literature & Fiction >> Classics >> Ages 9-12

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