The novel first published in 1876 was subtitled: "Helen's Babies with some account of their ways...innocent, crafty, angelic, impish, witching and repulsive by THEIR LATEST VICTIM."
The appearance of Helen's Babies prompts Orwell's thoughts about the impression of the world made by books read in childhood.
His impressions of America came down to the barefoot boy in the schoolroom aspiring to become president, and the tall man leaning against a wooden paling making occasional observations.
Although he acknowledges a crude and anarchic element in many American works, he notes that novels set on the East Coast describe a very sedate and prim society governed by etiquette.
Orwell regrets that more recent American material such as Superman and other comic books is no longer suitable for children.