The Water-Babies - Charles Kingsley (3 of 5 Mother Doneasyoudidbys)

This is another book from my Darwin class.  It was published back in 1863 by Reverend Charles Kingsley.  Charles told his readers that the book's purpose was to teach small children about the responsibility that they had become morally evolved individuals.  It is a somewhat effective attempt to mesh religion and evolution.

At the beginning of the book, the young chimney sweep Tom runs away from his abusive master.  During his escape into the forest Tom falls into a river.  It is then that the faeries turn him into a water baby.  What exactly that is, nobody knows, but it's some kind of tadpole thingy...  During his journey Tom encounters several animals that teach him about moral evolution.  Does he become an upstanding citizen of English society?  Probably, but I don't want to give anything away.

If nothing else I admire Kingsley for his subtlty...or lack thereof.  After many years of unsuccessfully trying to teach his religious ideas to adults, Kingsley decided that he might have more luck if he focused on children.  In the midst of lighthearted descriptions like Tom frolicking through the marsh, Kingsley dumps complex details about ideological battles between natural theology and evolution.  In the course of reading the book to their children parents would suddenly have to explain these concepts to their children.  Sort of like...hmmm...Wall E.  "Mommy, what's global warming?"

You might want to read this book for its historical value rather than literary value.  It was part of the British elementary education curriculum for much of the second half of the 19th century.