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 read about the realization of growing old or passing of time used poignantly in E. B. White's Charlotte's Web. However, check the years. Toy Story 1 was shown in 1995 and Charlotte's Web was first published in 1952. Hence, unless there were other children's books with the same themes earlier than 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit was the original.The story is very simple yet it strikes a chord in one's heart. It is about a stuff rabbit toy given to a boy on Christmas Day. Along with other hi-tech and shiny gifts, the little rabbit toy is not a big hit so he is kept in the boy's cabinet. One of them is an old wooden horse who tells the little rabbit that the latter can become real only when he is loved. One night, the boy's nanny cannot find her ward's bed companion toy so she gets the little rabbit. They seem to click so from then on, the boy sleeps with the little rabbit and brings him anywhere he goes. Being a stuff toy, the little rabbit has wear and tear: his color is fading, his hay-filled body is becoming out of shape, he is starting to lose his whiskers, etc. Despite those, the boy still loves him and this makes the little rabbit very happy. However, the boy gets sick with scarlet fever and the doctor orders the boy's parents to burn all his toys. If you check Wikipedia, the vaccine for scarlet fever was only discovered in 1924 (two years after the first publication of Velveteen. Then in 1940, the vaccine was eclipsed by the discovery of penicillin. So, the burning of the toys in 1922 was a sensible order from the doctor.I am not saying though that this book is better than J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (1902) or Antoine de Saint-Exupery's Le Petite Prince (1945) or even A. A. Milne's Winnie The Pooh (1926). These three novels are far more comprehensive, multi-layered, imaginative and their characters are more memorable. However, the simplicity of The Velveteen Rabbit is its most endearing asset. The vulnerable and trusting little rabbit is much more endearing than the cockiness of Peter, the wisdom of the Little Prince and the cluelessness of Winnie. Don't read the part below if you are not my brother:To my brother who always likes to check if a novel has an allusion to sex, check this book out. The little rabbit is told that being worn out is the consequence of being loved. It does not matter if the little rabbit, because the boy loves him, later becomes out of shape, with faded color, loses its luster, with missing whiskers, etc because he is loved by the boy. Maybe Williams anticipated readers like my brother so she made both characters, the boy and the rabbit, as male ha ha.
“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 story a very subtle mood by narrating in a graceful and soft-spoken tone that many children will be mesmerized by her narration. Meryl Streep has also done a brilliant job at expressing the various emotions that each of the characters experience throughout the story. The scene where I think that Meryl Streep’s narration stood out the most was the scene where the real rabbits tell the Velveteen Rabbit that he is not real and the Velveteen Rabbit begins to cry and Meryl Streep actually sounds like she is about to cry in this scene which truly brought out the realism of the situation in this scene. George Winston’s piano solo music is extremely beautiful and engaging, as his music is both happy and sorrowful, depending on the scene. The scene where I think that George Winston’s musical abilities truly shine was the scene where one of the real rabbits was dancing in front of the Velveteen Rabbit and George Winston plays the piano in such a dramatic and fast paced tone that I found myself loving every second of that scene. The video’s true highlight is David Jorgensen’s illustrations as they are extremely beautiful and captivating. David Jorgensen makes all the characters look extremely realistic, which gives the story a sense of realism and the images that stood out the most to me were the images of the real rabbits, as they look realistic and beautiful. “The Velveteen Rabbit” is a beautiful story about knowing the importance of true love and children will easily relate to this story as they will feel sympathy for the Velveteen Rabbit trying to find the true meaning of being real. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since small children might be upset at the fact that the Velveteen Rabbit feels upset when he realizes he is not like the other real rabbits. For more Rabbit Ears titles, check out: The Fool and the Flying ShipJohn HenryHow the Rhinoceros Got His SkinPrincess Scargo and the Birthday Pumpkin: The Native American LegendPeachboy: A Japanese FolktalePinocchio This story is also available on DVD through the Rabbit Ears Website and Amazon.Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
What do You think about The Velveteen Rabbit (1987)?
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 treasures. And the idea of throwing him away or giving him to the Salvation Army is so fundamentally wrong that my stomach twists in dismay and I know – I know , even though I’m an atheist – that I will spend eternity in Hell if I ever do so.My friend at work has occasionally recommended this book to me as it’s one of her favorites. This is the same woman who got me the novelization of the movie J.T. for Christmas one year. I watched J.T. in the second grade, and I refuse to read the book because that experience so affected me that I don’t want to relive it.She also recommended the first Transformers movie.So you can see that I was wary about The Velveteen Rabbit but I was finally moved to read it by a chance reference in an essay I read in the October 29, 2012 issue The Nation, the following quote:“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day….“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 once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”That observation resonated and I downloaded the eBook from the Project Gutenberg site.This is a marvelous story and I can easily identify with the Boy (and there’s a happy ending, unlike J.T.), and it’s going on my Christmas list for my youngest niece, who’s six.
—Terence
Somehow I never encountered this book as a child, which is a shame because it would have been right up my alley when I was younger.I listened to Meryl Streep's audiobook narration, which was recorded in the 1980s. That was really interesting, because her voice was so high! and she seemed to take it so seriously! So different from her more recent audiobook narrations. I loved listening to her read this one, but I would also love listening to her reading the list of ingredients in my breakfast cereal. so.
—Steph
This wonderful children's book has beautifully strung sentences that sit on the tip of your tongue like a Konpeitō. It's a story about a stuffed rabbit made of velveteen, and his quest to become "Real" through the love of his owner. I think everyone needs to become acquainted with this story, because like many other children's classics, including but limited to Winnie-the-Pooh, Charlotte's Web and Oh, The Places You'll Go!, this story perfectly intertwines sweet childish fantasy and stunning illustrations with the more thought-provoking things in life."He didn't mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic had made him Real, and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter."Won't you come scuba-dive with me in the deepness that is children's story books?
—Jonnie
