The Velveteen Rabbit
(eBook)

The Velveteen Rabbit (1922) is a children's book by Margery Williams Bianco. Illustrated by renowned British painter William Nicholson, The Velveteen Rabbit has endured as a children's classic for nearly a century. Adapted numerous times for film and television, Bianco's heartwarming story is beloved for its universal and timeless morals by children and adults alike. Gifted to a young boy on Christmas day, the velveteen rabbit is soon cast aside for modern, mechanical toys. Left in the nursery, the rabbit meets the wise old Skin Horse, a toy passed down to the boy from his uncle. The Skin Horse tells the rabbit how, when treated with love by their owners, toys are magically granted life. Initially hopeful, the rabbit soon despairs of its lonely stay in the nursery, and longs for a life in the world outside. When the boy's nanny comes looking for a toy for the boy to sleep with, however, the velveteen rabbit is given a chance to live. The boy soon grows found of the rabbit, taking the toy with him on picnics and trips to the garden, where the velveteen rabbit meets real rabbits and longs even more to join them. When the boy is struck with scarlet fever, however, the doctor orders that all of his belongings must be disinfected or burned, and the velveteen rabbit is placed in a sack and left in the garden overnight. As the rabbit begins to cry, the magic of love begins its work, ensuring the rabbit will not only live, but embark on a wonderful adventure of its own.