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The Velveteen Rabbit
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Nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
Like the Skin Horse, Margery Williams understood how toys—and people—become real through the wisdom and experience of love. This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appear ...more
Like the Skin Horse, Margery Williams understood how toys—and people—become real through the wisdom and experience of love. This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appear ...more
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Paperback, 40 pages
Published
April 1st 1987
by Avon
(first published 1922)
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Els
No way! I happen to be the same age, and still read it once a year. You can never be to old for a good story.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Velveteen Rabbit
Feb 19, 2008
Rachel C.
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
youth,
public-domain-misc
Beautiful and deeply touching. At Meredith's wedding last year, her brother and sister read a passage from this book, including the below - an inspired choice.
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."...more
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
A terrific book, even as an adult, but it gave me quite a scare as a little kid. See, I actually managed to get scarlet fever in the first grade, and because of The Velveteen Rabbit, I was terrified that someone was going to come in and force me to burn all of my toys like the kid in the book had to when he was sick. Thankfully, though, medicine advanced beyond toy burning in between the publishing of this book and 1982, so my G.I. Joes were safe.
What a delightful book! 🐰
Some children's books should be read by adults. This is one of them. It examines the transforming power of love.
...more
5★ . . "Or How Toys Become Real"
"There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen."
He was the perfect Christmas gift for a little boy who actually had a china dog he used to take to bed every night. The Rabbit was overlooked in the toy cupboard, snubbed by the other toys except for a threadbare, old "skin horse".
T ...more
"There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen."
He was the perfect Christmas gift for a little boy who actually had a china dog he used to take to bed every night. The Rabbit was overlooked in the toy cupboard, snubbed by the other toys except for a threadbare, old "skin horse".
T ...more
4.5 stars. When I found out that the classic children's story "The Velveteen Rabbit" was old enough to be free online at Gutenberg.org (complete with the original illustrations!) AND that it has a Christmas connection - the story begins with the rabbit tucked into the boy's Christmas stocking - I couldn't resist. It's a heartfelt story about unselfish love and how that makes us more "real." Perhaps a little sentimental (okay, it's definitely sentimental) but it touched me.
Here's a link: http://w ...more
Here's a link: http://w ...more
At what age does a child learn what is real? How long does the blurring between fantasy and reality persist, for a young child? And when harsh reality kicks in with a vengeance, isn’t a little bit of magic lost forever?
The loss of childhood innocence is always poignant. Adults sometimes continue to live in our imaginations and dreams through stories, so we may manage to hang on to a little bit of this magic through our adulthood.
The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real), is a much-loved cla ...more
The loss of childhood innocence is always poignant. Adults sometimes continue to live in our imaginations and dreams through stories, so we may manage to hang on to a little bit of this magic through our adulthood.
The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real), is a much-loved cla ...more
I'm sure I wrote a review about this book on this site at one time or another.......
The review may be lost ---my memories of this book never are!
I own it.......
Its a children's favorite!
*Thanks Duane --for re-visiting of memories from when you recently read it!
...more
The review may be lost ---my memories of this book never are!
I own it.......
Its a children's favorite!
*Thanks Duane --for re-visiting of memories from when you recently read it!
...more
Sep 10, 2019
Ahmad Sharabiani
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
picture-books,
20th-century,
classics,
childrens-young-readers,
british,
fantasy,
short-stories,
literature
How Toys Become Real = The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams Bianco, Donna Green (Illustrator)
The Velveteen Rabbit is a British children's book written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. The book was first published in 1922. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. A stuffed rabbit sewn from velveteen is given as a Christmas present to a small boy. The boy plays with his other new presents and forgets the velveteen ...more
The Velveteen Rabbit is a British children's book written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. The book was first published in 1922. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. A stuffed rabbit sewn from velveteen is given as a Christmas present to a small boy. The boy plays with his other new presents and forgets the velveteen ...more
I just read this to my 4-year-old daughter (after reading it to my son for years) and when I looked over through my watery eyes and saw the little tears racing down her cheeks, it confirmed for me that she would always understand the more precious aspects of life. If you love this book or you have children and don't know this book, I HIGHLY recommend the audio version with Meryl Streep as narrator and George Winston on piano. It is sublime.
...more
Shame on you "Toy Story", you knocked off "The Velveteen Rabbit' and didn't even say thank you. Of course this was published in 1922, seventy-three years before Toy Story, so most of today's children haven't read this, which is a shame because it's a sweet story, soft and gentle like the little rabbit.
...more
Nov 09, 2010
K.D. Absolutely
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to K.D. by:
Regine
Shelves:
given-away,
childrens
The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real by Margery Williams Bianco (1881-1944) was originally published in 1922 when she was 41 years old.
Tonight is my first time to read this book. Shame on me. It only took 15 mins to read it and at first I was totally not impressed. I thought I already saw the theme of previously-cherished toys being discarded either in favor of a newer or more hi-tech toy or when the child becomes an adult used in Disney/Pixar's movie Toy Story. I also thought I already ...more
Tonight is my first time to read this book. Shame on me. It only took 15 mins to read it and at first I was totally not impressed. I thought I already saw the theme of previously-cherished toys being discarded either in favor of a newer or more hi-tech toy or when the child becomes an adult used in Disney/Pixar's movie Toy Story. I also thought I already ...more
I remember this book being devastatingly sad to me when I was a child. Upon re-reading as an adult, I got misty-eyed, but was not nearly as upset. I'm not sure if that's because I was more prepared for what would happen, if it was just a by-product of being a grown up, or if it has anything to do with seeming a bit old-fashioned now that the story is nearly 100 years old.
In The Velveteen Rabbit, we follow a stuffed bunny from the time he enters a young boy's nursery one Christmas morning, throug ...more
In The Velveteen Rabbit, we follow a stuffed bunny from the time he enters a young boy's nursery one Christmas morning, throug ...more
Jun 22, 2016
Agir(آگِر)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Agir(آگِر) by:
Christy
‘What is REAL?’ asked the Rabbit one day…
‘Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse.
It’s a thing that happens to you…’
But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly
...more
‘Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse.
It’s a thing that happens to you…’
But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly
...more
This review was written months ago. A mix of Christmas, children, family, presents and literature brought it to the surface.
Dec 19, 18
After watching another Friends marathon I noticed that The Velveteen Rabbit was mentioned twice. First, in a 1997 episode, "The One with the Dirty Girl" and four years later in "The One with the Halloween Party" since it was Chandler’s favorite childhood book. (That's not how a geek sounds.)
I wrote on some review that I wasn’t particularly fond of rabbits. When I ...more
Dec 19, 18
After watching another Friends marathon I noticed that The Velveteen Rabbit was mentioned twice. First, in a 1997 episode, "The One with the Dirty Girl" and four years later in "The One with the Halloween Party" since it was Chandler’s favorite childhood book. (That's not how a geek sounds.)
I wrote on some review that I wasn’t particularly fond of rabbits. When I ...more
What a beautiful and touching story. I was truly blown away by it's originality and subtle message... there is nothing much else to say: it is a heartbreaking story. I cried and cried and just wanted the opportunity to love the Velveteen rabbit forever.
...more
Absolutely lovely!
Beautiful illustrations and a wonderful story about how toys become real when you love them enough, we knew that of course but we suspect some might not realise this so it has a very important message.
There are some sad bits and it was hard to read aloud in places, but a happy ending!
There are some sad bits and it was hard to read aloud in places, but a happy ending!
First published in 1922, a REAL gem of a classic!
This book scarred me for goddamned life. I still can't get rid of a stuffed animal. Do you have any idea how many stuffed animals live in my basement because of this book?
...more
A simple but profound story of how one small toy velveteen rabbit becomes "real" (through so-called nursery magic and because the velveteen rabbit is perceived as being real by the young boy who sleeps with it every night and plays with it every day), but I do have to admit that I am actually more than a bit glad I did NOT encounter Margery Williams Bianco's classic as a very young child (for I did indeed and very much akin to the Boy own a stuffed rabbit toy that was in many ways exactly the sa
...more
"It doesn't happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real, you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
...more
Nov 20, 2012
Terence
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
My nieces
Recommended to Terence by:
Maevisvintage
Shelves:
for-the-younger-generation
This is my teddy bear:
His name is “Teddy” and I have no recollection of getting him, but he has been with me for over 35 years. I can’t say that he and I were (are) as close as the Boy and his Rabbit. I have no memories of sleeping with him nor of fervently clutching him when afraid nor of making ersatz bear dens for his comfort but he was always on the periphery of my life. Lurking on top of my dresser, carelessly tossed on the bed or (today) carefully packed away with a few other childhood tre ...more
His name is “Teddy” and I have no recollection of getting him, but he has been with me for over 35 years. I can’t say that he and I were (are) as close as the Boy and his Rabbit. I have no memories of sleeping with him nor of fervently clutching him when afraid nor of making ersatz bear dens for his comfort but he was always on the periphery of my life. Lurking on top of my dresser, carelessly tossed on the bed or (today) carefully packed away with a few other childhood tre ...more
My favorite book of all time . . . .with timeless themes of love and loss. If you've never heard Meryl Streep pitch-perfect reading of this book, or seen David Jorgensen's beautiful drawings, you've never really experienced it properly.
...more
There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a sprig of holly between his paws, the effect was charming.
Originally published in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real) is a classic children’s story by the English ...more
Originally published in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real) is a classic children’s story by the English ...more
It's one of my hobbies to read the books which come up in movies or tv series. I don't know why it makes me happy! So, for this one, I have to thank Chandler Bing from FRIENDS! :D
I totally loved this book! It reminded me of 'Toy Story' though, my all time favorite animated film!
Awwww, the velveteen rabbit! My eyes were almost teary until the fairy came! :'(
Beautiful book with some beautiful writings! ^_^ ...more
I totally loved this book! It reminded me of 'Toy Story' though, my all time favorite animated film!
Awwww, the velveteen rabbit! My eyes were almost teary until the fairy came! :'(
Beautiful book with some beautiful writings! ^_^ ...more
This story melts my heart.💕
My children and grandchildren loved this book and I must admit I loved it too.
A wonderful classic children's story. Recommended. ...more
A wonderful classic children's story. Recommended. ...more
“The Velveteen Rabbit” is Rabbit Ears’ first classic story that is based off of Margery Williams’ popular tale and it is about how a toy rabbit learns the true meaning of being real. With Meryl Streep’s tender narration, George Winston’s soft music and David Jorgensen’s beautiful illustrations, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is an instant classic that children will watch over and over again.
What made this video truly memorable was Meryl Streep’s tender and soothing narration. Meryl Streep gives the s ...more
Such a beautiful beautiful story. During my second year of teaching, I started taking 30 minutes or so on Fridays to read a children's story to my juniors, and then we'd discuss it in the context of a shared letters project that was ongoing through the year. It never failed that I would cry every time I read this story -- the whole concept of being real as it is explained in the book just moves me so much. When you are shabby and well-worn and your whiskers are rubbed off and your fur is patchy,
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Roe Reading ...: The Velveteen Rabbit | 2 | 7 | Aug 19, 2020 01:14AM | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Adding page number to The Velveteen Rabbit | 3 | 14 | Feb 05, 2020 11:45PM | |
| Retro Reads: Dec. 16-22, 2019: The Velveteen Rabbit | 14 | 11 | Jan 26, 2020 09:49AM | |
| Play Book Tag: The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams Bianco | 9 | 17 | Jun 02, 2019 12:15AM | |
| Play Book Tag: The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco, original illustrations by William Nicholson - 5 stars | 5 | 15 | Apr 26, 2019 04:28PM | |
| Holistic Bliss Keto | 1 | 2 | Apr 25, 2019 12:56AM |
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British-born Margery Winifred Williams moved with her parents to the USA in 1890. She became a professional writer at age 19. In 1904, on a visit to her English publisher, she met and married Francisco Bianco, an Italian living in London. The couple went to live in Turin, Italy, for many years. Margery eventually returned with her own family to the USA in 1921. She's best remembered today for The
...more
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“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'
'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.
'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'
'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'
'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
—
1790 likes
'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.
'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'
'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'
'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
—
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