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The Skin Horse
When his owner grows too old to play with him any more, the Skin Horse is given to a children's hospital where a sick boy comes to love him.
54 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1927
About the author
Margery Williams Bianco
181 books812 followersMargery Williams Bianco was an English-American author, primarily of popular children's books. A professional writer since the age of nineteen, she achieved lasting fame at forty-one with the 1922 publication of the classic that is her best-known work, The Velveteen Rabbit.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 29, 2020
This is a lovely story about a toy horse passed on to a children's hospital. The toy horse becomes friends with a little boy who is quite unwell and is there for some time.
I found this very sad, if I had read this to my daughter when she was small we would have both been sobbing. A nurse puts his beloved horse in the bin as it is old and broken. My favourite toy when I was small was a toy horse that was put in the dustbin when it's leg broke which was heartbreaking. So very sad nobody in the story thought to try and fix the horse for the boy's sake at least but also for the poor horse. At the end of the story it is Christmas eve and the boy is granted a wish. I can see how some might find the end sad but I was just relieved the horse was rescued from the bin.
Some of the illustrations were beautiful some didn't work so well, the end paper designs were lovely. A sad but lovely story.
Read on open library.
I found this very sad, if I had read this to my daughter when she was small we would have both been sobbing. A nurse puts his beloved horse in the bin as it is old and broken. My favourite toy when I was small was a toy horse that was put in the dustbin when it's leg broke which was heartbreaking. So very sad nobody in the story thought to try and fix the horse for the boy's sake at least but also for the poor horse. At the end of the story it is Christmas eve and the boy is granted a wish. I can see how some might find the end sad but I was just relieved the horse was rescued from the bin.
Some of the illustrations were beautiful some didn't work so well, the end paper designs were lovely. A sad but lovely story.
Read on open library.
June 28, 2020
So yes, Margery Williams Bianco is of course most well and lastingly known for her classic 1922 picture book The Velveteen Rabbit (which is certainly very much a delightfully sweet story, but at least in my humble opinion also does contain some rather painful and even not so potentially wonderful elements, and this especially being the fact that the little boy seems to not even care all that much that the doctor has ordered his beloved velveteen rabbit and all of his toys and books to be burned because of scarlet fever risk).
And yes, I have therefore found Bianco's 1927 picture book The Skin Horse (which is in fact also based on one of the other nursery toys originally found in The Velveteen Rabbit) while tone wise and theme wise rather similar to The Velveteen Rabbit also considerably more heart-warming and much more positive on the whole. For by the end of The Skin Horse, both the ill in the hospital little boy and the toy skin horse that had been his constant companion until it was accidentally tossed into the trash by an inattentive nurse are forever reunited by the magic of the Christmas Angel (and who also grants presents and wishes to ALL of the children at the hospital), albeit that in The Velveteen Rabbit the incinerated toy rabbit is indeed also turned into a real rabbit, but yes, he also has indeed forever lost his little boy. And no, it in my opinion also really does not matter if the last scene of The Skin Horse, where the little ill boy mounts his now winged steed (the transformed into a real equine skin horse) and the pair fly off together might perhaps mean that the little boy has not recovered from his surgery and might have actually died (as to and for me, ALL that matters is that the Christmas Angel has granted the boy's wish to be reunited with his cherished and beloved skin horse toy).
A wonderful little story with delicate and sweet messages of hope and that friendships between children and their cherished toys are totally and utterly real and as such also filled with everlasting undying love! And the only reason why The Skin Horse is not yet a five star book for me (because indeed, Margery Williams Bianco's delightfully tender words are to and for me certainly worthy of five stars) is that with Pamela Bianco's (Margery Williams Bianco's daughter) accompanying illustrations, even though they certainly are whimsical and expressive, I do feel that ALL of the facial expressions look rather the same and indeed, that especially the little boy's visage has an annoying and totally feminine quality to it (with some of the pictures really making me think that the boy looks more like a little girl, that he does not appear to physically resemble anyone masculine at all).
And yes, I have therefore found Bianco's 1927 picture book The Skin Horse (which is in fact also based on one of the other nursery toys originally found in The Velveteen Rabbit) while tone wise and theme wise rather similar to The Velveteen Rabbit also considerably more heart-warming and much more positive on the whole. For by the end of The Skin Horse, both the ill in the hospital little boy and the toy skin horse that had been his constant companion until it was accidentally tossed into the trash by an inattentive nurse are forever reunited by the magic of the Christmas Angel (and who also grants presents and wishes to ALL of the children at the hospital), albeit that in The Velveteen Rabbit the incinerated toy rabbit is indeed also turned into a real rabbit, but yes, he also has indeed forever lost his little boy. And no, it in my opinion also really does not matter if the last scene of The Skin Horse, where the little ill boy mounts his now winged steed (the transformed into a real equine skin horse) and the pair fly off together might perhaps mean that the little boy has not recovered from his surgery and might have actually died (as to and for me, ALL that matters is that the Christmas Angel has granted the boy's wish to be reunited with his cherished and beloved skin horse toy).
A wonderful little story with delicate and sweet messages of hope and that friendships between children and their cherished toys are totally and utterly real and as such also filled with everlasting undying love! And the only reason why The Skin Horse is not yet a five star book for me (because indeed, Margery Williams Bianco's delightfully tender words are to and for me certainly worthy of five stars) is that with Pamela Bianco's (Margery Williams Bianco's daughter) accompanying illustrations, even though they certainly are whimsical and expressive, I do feel that ALL of the facial expressions look rather the same and indeed, that especially the little boy's visage has an annoying and totally feminine quality to it (with some of the pictures really making me think that the boy looks more like a little girl, that he does not appear to physically resemble anyone masculine at all).
June 19, 2013
THE VALUE OF A TOY HORSE
Known for her insight into the feelings of toys (the velveteen rabbit, the skin horse, and the little wooden doll) Margery Williams Bianco wrote a sort of trilogy set in Long-Ago. Childhood was simpler, gentler and less complicated then—although privileged children did not see much of their parents, as they were generally in the capable hands of Nannies, Nurses and maids. But adults have always underestimated the power of a loving stuffed animal or doll for companionship: in troubled times, comfort at bedtime, and even as a source of hope. Who is to say that a toy cannot become Real by being loved long enough?
In this quaint novella the old skin horse of VELVETEEN RABBIT Nursery fame has outlived his usefulness (all his boys have grown up) and thus is given away to a children’s hospital. Fortunately most sick children are not so picky when it comes to having an object on which to lavish affection--especially children confined for a long-term illness. In this tender sequel-of-sorts the skin horse is able to communicate verbally (or is it mentally?) with the beloved but unnamed Child. They share secrets and a private dream: of flying through the cool sweet skies without care or crippling physical limitations. But will it require the compassionate intervention of a fairy godmother (in this case: the Christmas Angel) or something more sinister and final (as in MacDonald’s At the Back of the North Wind)? With the delightfully dainty illustrations by Pamela Bianco, the author’s daughter, this little book proves a gem for children of all ages. There are no limitations to a child’s imagination--or the ability of a cherished toy to provide unconditional love in return.
(June 19, 2013. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Known for her insight into the feelings of toys (the velveteen rabbit, the skin horse, and the little wooden doll) Margery Williams Bianco wrote a sort of trilogy set in Long-Ago. Childhood was simpler, gentler and less complicated then—although privileged children did not see much of their parents, as they were generally in the capable hands of Nannies, Nurses and maids. But adults have always underestimated the power of a loving stuffed animal or doll for companionship: in troubled times, comfort at bedtime, and even as a source of hope. Who is to say that a toy cannot become Real by being loved long enough?
In this quaint novella the old skin horse of VELVETEEN RABBIT Nursery fame has outlived his usefulness (all his boys have grown up) and thus is given away to a children’s hospital. Fortunately most sick children are not so picky when it comes to having an object on which to lavish affection--especially children confined for a long-term illness. In this tender sequel-of-sorts the skin horse is able to communicate verbally (or is it mentally?) with the beloved but unnamed Child. They share secrets and a private dream: of flying through the cool sweet skies without care or crippling physical limitations. But will it require the compassionate intervention of a fairy godmother (in this case: the Christmas Angel) or something more sinister and final (as in MacDonald’s At the Back of the North Wind)? With the delightfully dainty illustrations by Pamela Bianco, the author’s daughter, this little book proves a gem for children of all ages. There are no limitations to a child’s imagination--or the ability of a cherished toy to provide unconditional love in return.
(June 19, 2013. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
November 6, 2021
Companion, I'd say, to the incredibly more famous The Velveteen Rabbit Or, How Toys Become Real. This is more suitable to the Christmas season, whereas the other I always think of at Easter time. The illustrations are old-fashioned and sentimental but I love them and would have as a child. Compare to Andersen or Oscar Wilde, because of the deep spiritual metaphors... not likely to be understood by little children.
Enjoyed on openlibrary. Easy to read in the one-hour sample loan.
Enjoyed on openlibrary. Easy to read in the one-hour sample loan.
February 1, 2018
Interesting... I'm honestly not quite sure what to think. It's a sequel of sorts to The Velveteen Rabbit, which I love. This one follows the adventures of the Skin Horse, after the Boy is grown up out of toys. The Skin Horse gets donated to the local hospital, where he becomes much loved by a sick little boy.
The book is more like a really, really short novella than a picture book, even though it does have illustrations. It's quite a bit longer than your usual picture book. The pictures are dainty, as another Goodreader described them, and kind of Renaissance-esque.
My thing... there's essentially two ways to interpret the ending.
So there you go. No risk trying it yourself; it can be read in an hour or less, even if you pause to enjoy the illustrations. ;)
The book is more like a really, really short novella than a picture book, even though it does have illustrations. It's quite a bit longer than your usual picture book. The pictures are dainty, as another Goodreader described them, and kind of Renaissance-esque.
My thing... there's essentially two ways to interpret the ending.
So there you go. No risk trying it yourself; it can be read in an hour or less, even if you pause to enjoy the illustrations. ;)
June 15, 2019
A gem of a story, a follow up to The Velveteen Rabbit, in which we follow the Skin Horse to a children's hospital. As you can imagine, tears and uplift follow. Bianco's daughter illustrated this with charming if a touch stilted pictures. Pitch perfect.
January 12, 2020
I didn't care for it. It was depressing and not what I would read to a child. Also, the illustrations primitive and frankly, scary, particularly the faces. There were no expressions and every face was identical. It felt like looking at the Stepford Wives.
I own this but am giving it away.
I own this but am giving it away.
April 13, 2008
The storyline is strikingly similar to that of The Velveteen Rabbit. Not as sweet or pure though but still worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews