Synopsis: "Tony's adventures beneath the waters are written in an unconvincing manner ... while the rhymes uttered by the exceedingly commonplace anemones, starfish, and other denizens of the deep do not redeem the dulness of the prose. The illustrations are more attractive [... but some do not fit:] "Tony is described as borrowing a mermaiden's fish skin, and by help of its magic powers descending to the depths of the sea, and yet in all the illustrations Tony is depicted as walking about on his own bare little feet." --"Books of the Week" The Manchester Guardian 1895-05-07 p9 "Bancks has essayed the more difficult task of following on the lines of Alice in Wonderland ... and the publishers, Messrs. Cassell and Co., have seemingly supported the idea. ..." --another negative review, viewed as clipping from another review column on one front page of the HDL copy (HathiTrust.org) "An admirable example of the modern fairy tale for children ... the adventres of a boy and a girl in the crystal realm where the mermaids disport themselves." Bancks admires Kingsley and Carroll evidently, but his story "is no mere copy of The Water-Babies or of Alice in Wonderland." --The Speaker 1895