The Water-Babies

The Water-Babies is a children's novel by Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862–1863 as a serial for MacMillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863. It was written as part satire in support of Charles Darwin's 'On The Origins of Species'. The book was extremely popular in the United Kingdom and was a mainstay of British children's literature for many decades

Tells the story of Tom, a degraded young chimney sweep who is transformed into a “water-baby.” In a magical, mystical version of evolution, Tom is “born again” into a wonderful underwater world, where he is given a second chance to develop into the man he should have been.