The Velveteen Rabbit

Yet another classic that I recently discovered has slipped past me (or at least, if I ever read it as a child, I have no recollection), Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit is a beautiful book and one that I'm glad to have stumbled across as an adult rather than as a child. It all happened because of a quote:

He said,"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."

This quote show more came across my Facebook feed the other day, and in discussing the book with a couple of friends, it then occurred to me that I don't think I had ever read it, so bought a copy that weekend. This book resonated far better with my adult self than I think it ever could have as a child, which speaks volumes for the magic of this slim little volume. A happy addition to my library. show less

#564 in our old book database. Not rated. Jan. 19, 1990.

I recall that I didn't much like this book the first time I read it decades ago, but I decided to give it another go when the 100th Anniversary edition turned up on NPR's list of best children's books of 2022 that I'm reading as one of my 2023 goals.

The art for this edition is by Erin Stead, and overall I do prefer her style over the art by William Nicholson in the edition that my family owns, but the muted colors and droopy characters radiate moroseness from the get-go and throughout the tale. And while her rabbit is fine, as drawn it doesn't really match the description in the text as to the stuffed animal's form and really doesn't look much different from its first appearance to show more its supposedly worn look near the end of the story.

The story and its mythology really irritate me, and I ranted to my wife for quite awhile last night after we read the book together. Here's a taste of it. For starters, I'm torn between the Skin Horse being a false prophet of a faux religion of Real created to distract from the actual revelations of the tale's end, or the Skin Horse being John the Baptist to the Velveteen Rabbit's Christ who is risen again to immortality and finally opening the way for all toys to Heaven on Earth. And if there are two levels of Real, are there more? Say, fifteen, perhaps, as in Scientology? Will the Velveteen Rabbit continue to transcend as he tires of immortality on Earth? Will watching all the real rabbits in his life die every nine years as he goes on and on without the sweet release of death push him to a new epiphany of Real (Level 3)? Or will another random fairy/angel just pop up in time to move the story/pilgrimage along? Meanwhile, what about China Dog, the boy's first beloved toy? Did he achieve either level of Real or is he stuck in some limbo? What sins weigh down the soul of the Skin Horse that he is denied the second level of Real? What inherent evil of the modern age prevents mechanical toys from being able to enter the realm of Real? Is Williams a Luddite or simply unable to progress due to crippling obsession with nostalgia?

Or is this all just an attempt to create a parent cover story for throwing away kids' toys? The family pet goes off to live on "a farm in the country" and all the missing toys are now frolicking in the forest with the real animals.

Anyhow, I still don't like this book.

(Another project! I'm trying to read all the picture books and graphic novels on the kids section of NPR's Books We Love 2022.) show less

"The Velveteen Rabbit" put me through a slew of emotions; I cried, I laughed, and I cried again. This book reflects the time it was written in and includes a real twist of events when the velveteen rabbit toy's owner gets scarlet fever. The emotional aspects of the book and the fear we feel when the boy gets sick or the rabbit needing to be burnt are something I appreciated. I felt empathy and shed a tear for someone other than myself for the first time in months. I can also appreciate the mix of fantasy plot elements like deus ex machina when the rabbit becomes real before it has to be burnt. 10/10

This classic tale of a Boy and his beloved toy-turned-Real rabbit holds up beautifully, even after 100 years (although I did have to explain what scarlet fever was). Stead's illustrations are perfect.

As I am a father now I am also looking for books that will help me to grow my boy into a man. It's hard to write a story that is short, easy to read , yet carries the weight of the world on its shoulders. But this short lovely book does just that. I will try to hunt it in my native language so that my boy can experience this story and I cannot wait to see what flowers will grow in his mind from this beautiful seed.

I would be hard pressed to name a more poignant, beautiful book for children. I've not shied away from the fact that I am known to cry while reading a really emotional scene in a book. The Velveteen Rabbit can now be added to that list. The author did a tremendously good job of showing the love a child can have towards their favorite toy and their passionate understanding that their toy is real and the sweet answer to the questions of what happens to the beloved item when the child is too old to play with it any longer. The illustrations are simple, colorful, and wonderfully vintage. I can definitely see why this one is a classic.

One of my absolute favorite stories from childhood, and the last on my little trip down memory lane revisiting the books of my youth (those that I currently own, at least).

What can one say about the Velveteen Rabbit that hasn't been said already? It's so tender, and tragic, and beautiful, and sweet, and touching. It makes you cry both sad and happy tears. And those lovely illustrations by William Nicholson are just wonderful.

This particular edition, again from my childhood, is a beautiful hardcover in a slipcase. No idea where it came from (parents or a gift from parents' friends), but I know it was a constant favorite, and it remains one today.