The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real Hardcover - 1995

The Velveteen Rabbit, or How Toys Become Real, is the story of a toy rabbit who wants to become real through the love of his owner. The stuffed rabbit is overlooked by the boy whom he is given, the boy preferring to play with more mechanical and sophisticated toys than the simple stuffed rabbit. The rabbit holds onto a story told to him by the oldest and wisest toy in the nursery, the skin horse, about how toys can become real through love. Eventually, the boy becomes attached to the soft doll, but after developing scarlet fever the doctor orders the boy sent away to recover and all his toys and belonging burnt. The rabbit is so sad over his separation from the boy he begins to cry and sheds a real tear - after which the nursery fairy appears to turn him into a real rabbit.

It has been adapted many times into television, film and onto the stage. The National Education Association listed it among the top 100 books for teachers of children in 2007.

Author Margery Williams’ first children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit was published in 1922 by George H. Doran Company in London and has remained in print continuously since, owing to its popularity as a story of the power of enduring love.

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The Rabbit in the stocking isn't as expensive as the other toys: he's covered in velveteen. On Christmas Day, the Boy enjoys his new toy but then quickly forgets and neglects him. Shunned and unsure, the Velveteen Rabbit questions his worth. Should he even becalled a real toy? An answer comes from his friend, the Skin Horse: "Real isn't how you are made. . . .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." The Velveteen Rabbit's journey through love and loneliness to become who he was really meant to be is a story that inspires us all on our own journey to Real. The Velveteen Rabbit is a timeless tale of friendship, love, acceptance and honesty. When the world seems uncertain, Margery Williams's classic story reminds all of us what really matters. The type in this edition has been reset to emphasize the poetry of the language and to bring out the depth of sentiment in the story. William Nicholson's 1922 illustrations, which have delighted generations of readers, are rendered in full-color just as they appeared in the original edition of The Velveteen Rabbit. Together words and pictures create a world so much like our own, and yet so delightfully magical.

Details

• Title The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real
• Author Margery Williams Bianco; Donna Green (Illustrator)
• Binding Hardcover
• Edition Standard
• Pages 1
• Volumes 1
• Language ENG
• Publisher Tide-Mark Press, Watertown, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
• Date December 1995
• ISBN 9781883746162 / 1883746167
• Weight 1.49 lbs (0.68 kg)
• Dimensions 12.26 x 10.66 x 0.45 in (31.14 x 27.08 x 1.14 cm)
• Ages 04 to 08 years
• Grade levels P - 3
• Library of Congress Catalog Number 99217055
• Dewey Decimal Code E