The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, with gorgeous illustrations by William Nicholson, can truly wear the designation, A Modern Classic. First published in 1922, the original edition is now available again from Doubleday, in their “A Book for Young Readers” series. It’s also available in paperback and in various editions with more contemporary art. I recommend the original, however, because the words and pictures are perfect together.
“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time . . . “
This is a wondrous book to read to the little ones, and one that older children can read to younger siblings.
The story begins at Christmas, when a sweet stuffed rabbit sits atop the boy’s stocking. It becomes a sweet, but not overly sentimental, story about love and loyalty. The philosophy is deep, but not complex, and the nature of love is its center.
I attended a wedding once where The Velveteen Rabbit was the principal reading. It fitted perfectly.
