
The Velveteen Rabbit
'The Velveteen Rabbit' Summary
A stuffed rabbit sewn from velveteen is given as a Christmas present to a small boy. The boy plays with his other new presents and forgets the velveteen rabbit for a time. These presents are modern and mechanical, and they snub the old-fashioned velveteen rabbit. The wisest and oldest toy in the nursery, the Skin Horse, which was owned by the boy's uncle, tells the rabbit about toys magically becoming real due to love from children. The rabbit is awed by this idea; however, his chances of achieving this wish are slight.
One night, the boy's nanny gives the rabbit to the boy to sleep with, in place of a lost toy. The rabbit becomes the boy's favourite toy, enjoying picnics with him in the spring, and the boy regards the rabbit as real. Time passes and the rabbit becomes shabbier, but happy. It meets some real rabbits in the summer, and they learn that the velveteen rabbit cannot hop as they do, and they say that he is not a real rabbit.
One day, the boy comes down with scarlet fever, and the rabbit sits with him as he recovers. The doctor orders that the boy should be taken to the seaside and that his room should be disinfected — all his books and toys burnt, including the velveteen rabbit. The rabbit is bundled into a sack and left out in the garden overnight, where he reflects sadly on his life with his boy. The toy rabbit cries, a real tear drops onto the ground, and a marvellous flower appears. A fairy steps out of the flower and comforts the velveteen rabbit, introducing herself as the Nursery Magic Fairy. She says that, because he has become real to the boy who truly loves him, she will take him away with her and "turn [him] into Real" to everyone.
The fairy takes the rabbit to the forest, where she meets the other rabbits and gives the velveteen rabbit a kiss. The velveteen rabbit changes into a real rabbit and joins the other rabbits in the forest. The next spring, the rabbit returns to look at the boy, and the boy sees a resemblance to his old velveteen rabbit. The boy ends up enjoying seeing the rabbit out in the wild.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1922Authors

Margery Williams
United States, England
Margery Williams Bianco was an English-American author, primarily of popular children's books. A professional writer since the age of nineteen, she achieved lasting fame at forty-one with the 1922 pub...
Books by Margery WilliamsDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, Billina the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, , the Cowardly Lion and th...

Queen Zixi of Ix or The Story of the Magic Cloak by L. Frank Baum
Queen Zixi of Ix is a charming and whimsical children's novel by L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The story follows the advent...

The Junior Classics Volume 8: Animal and Nature Stories by William Patten
The eighth book in the Junior Classics Series is an anthology of collected animal and nature tales designed to appeal to the young and young at heart.

Harper's Young People, Vol. 01, Issue 24, April 13, 1880 by Various
Harper's Young People was an illustrated weekly publication for children that included serialized and one-off short stories, tales from history, poetr...

Sky Island by L. Frank Baum
Sky Island: Being the Further Adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill after Their Visit to the Sea Fairies is a children's fantasy novel written by L. Frank...

Ways of Wood Folk by William J. Long
Late nineteenth-century naturalist William J. Long invites us in to the secret worlds of the woodland animals. Containing Long's own animal observatio...

The Adventures of Sammy Jay by Thornton W. Burgess
In the heart of the Green Forest, where the trees stand tall and the creatures roam free, resides Sammy Jay, a mischievous blue jay with a penchant fo...

Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's by Laura Lee Hope
In "Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's" by Laura Lee Hope, we are introduced to the Bunker family and their six lively children. The story unfolds i...

Bonnie Prince Fetlar: The Story of a Pony and His Friends by Marshall Saunders
Soon after his arrival to the lovely, cool summer escape of Devering Farm, Bonnie Prince Fetlar knows his new home will be a good one. Set in the moun...

Billy Whiskers in France by Frances Trego Montgomery
It feature's the adventures of Billy Whiskers, a mischievous and adventurous goat. The series, which was popular in the early 20th century, follows Bi...
Reviews for The Velveteen Rabbit
No reviews posted or approved, yet...