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A hand-made velveteen Rabbit lives in the Boy's nursery, neglected and snubbed by fancier toys, but he has a friend in the Skin Horse, the oldest and shabbiest toy of them all. But the Skin Horse has more reason to be proud than any of the newer toys, because the he is Real, a status only the longest- and best-loved toys can hope to attain: "When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

The Rabbit longs to become Real, but knows there's not much hope -- the Boy has so many other toys. But quite by chance, the Rabbit becomes the Boy's true favourite. He goes with the Boy everywhere, and one wonderful night, when the Boy is scolded by his Nana for fussing so much over an old toy, he declares, "He isn't a toy. He's REAL!"

The Rabbit couldn't be happier, but he learns that he is only Real to the Boy: rabbits in the garden examine him and find he is only stuffed, he has no hind legs and can't jump about with them. This is disappointing, but the Rabbit takes comfort in the Boy's love for him. But anxious times are coming: the Boy falls ill with scarlet fever and the nursery must be disinfected, all the books and toys the Boy played with during his illness burnt ... including the Rabbit. The Rabbit is so sad -- what good is it to be Real when he is separated from the Boy? The Rabbit's tears bring about a truly magical experience.

The enduring charm of this classic story lies in the ingenuous love and imagination of children -- toys may come and go, but the ones that are truly loved live in their minds and hearts forever. This is the original edition of The Velveteen Rabbit, with Margery Williamss original text and William Nicholson's original artwork: both are spare and simple and heartbreakingly evocative. This book is a treasure that will last at least another 80 years. All ages.

Nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

Like the Skin Horse, Margery Williams understood how toys--and people--become real through the wisdom and experience of love. This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appeared in 1922, will work its magic for all who read it.

Nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
Like the Skin Horse, Margery Williams understood how toys--and people--become real through the wisdom and experience of love. This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appeared in 1922, will work its magic for all who read it.

Author Margery Williams was born in London, England on July 22, 1881. She moved to the United States when she was nine-years-old and alternated between living in the United States and England for the rest of her life. She is best known for her thirty children's books, but she also wrote novels for adults and young adults. Her most popular works include The Velveteen Rabbit, Poor Cecco: The Wonderful Story of a Wonderful Wooden Dog Who Was the Jolliest Toy in the House Until He Went Out to Explore the World, and The Little Wooden Doll. Her young adult book, Winterbound, was a runner-up for the 1937 Newbery Medal and was retroactively given the Newbery Honor award when it was established in 1971. She died on September 4, 1944 at the age of 63.