Helen's Babies Paperback -

From the publisher

The classic of American humour, Helen's Babies, is brought to the reader anew in this well-presented edition.
First published in 1876, this novel tells the story of two parents who are exhausted from raising their children - two young boys named Toddie and Budge. Helen, the mother of the pair, requests that her brother take care of them for ten days while she and her husband go off on holiday for a much-needed break.
Helen assures her brother Harry that the two boys are well-behaved, when in actuality they are both mischievous and naughty. Harry Burton - a bachelor salesman accustomed to a simpler life - experiences a shock when the youngsters immediately start getting up to no good under his care. Hilarity ensues, especially when Harry takes a liking to a young woman in the locality - each time he attempts to impress upon her or strike up conversation, the boys thwart his efforts with their naughtiness.
At the time of publication, the novel became notorious for the piracy which led to a vast distribution, albeit with the author gaining very few royalties for the sales, and often going uncredited. For its lighthearted humour and lack of literary pretensions, Helen's Babies gained the favour of English authors G. K. Chesterton and George Orwell, who heaped praise upon the text decades after its initial publication.