The Velveteen Rabbit - A Christmas Story
The Velveteen Rabbit is a wonderful children's Christmas
story about a stuffed rabbit and its quest to become a real
rabbit. This story was Margery Williams' first novel,
written for children in 1922, and is far and away the most
popular of her writings. It won the IRA/CBC Children's
Choice award.
The Velveteen Rabbit is a story about a stuffed velveteen
rabbit that is discarded by the boy who owns it when he gets
some new mechanical toys that consider themselves "real."
With the new addition of these mechanical toys the velveteen
rabbit felt inferior because it wasn't "real".
So the skin horse and the velveteen rabbit talked one day
about how to become real. The skin horse shared with him the
secret to becoming real, which was through the love of your
child for you, not how you are made.
When the china dog that the boy usually played with became
misplaced the velveteen rabbit took his place in the boy's
affections. Because of this the velveteen rabbit became
shabbier and more worn as the boy dragged him around
everywhere.
One day the velveteen rabbit met some real rabbits and
mistook them for very well made toys that had no seams. This
is where the velveteen rabbit learned the difference between
real rabbits and himself.
When the boy contracted scarlet fever the velveteen rabbit
was his touchstone and friend, helping him through his
sickness. But because of this sickness all of the boy's toys
were considered by his doctor to be germ ridden, and the
doctor ordered them burned in order to disinfect the boy's
nursery.
When the boy was taken on a trip to the seaside, he was
given a new rabbit with glass eyes, and the velveteen rabbit
was left behind to be burned in a bonfire. The velveteen
rabbit cried real tears when he was put on the bonfire and
then the nursery magic fairy appeared and took the velveteen
rabbit into the woods.
There he was transformed into a real rabbit because of his
boy's love for him and he ran off to join the other rabbits
in the woods. Later when the boy returned from his trip he
saw a real rabbit that looked like his old velveteen rabbit,
never knowing that it really used to be his velveteen
rabbit.
This story is truly a great children's tale about the power
of true love. This story is almost a hundred years old and
it still is popular with today's children. There is even a
movie adaptation of this popular children's novel. So when
you think of Christmas stories to read to your children at
bedtime with choose the velveteen rabbit. It is a rare story
of the love a child has for a toy and the transformative
power of love.
All About Christmas
All About Rabbits
