Public reader discussion about The Velveteen Rabbit in the WeRead Catalog by Margery Williams Bianco.
By lucky-pencil5346
I’ve been hunting online (AbeBooks and stuff) trying to figure out what year my copy of *The Velveteen Rabbit* is, but I can’t seem to find one that matches. I think part of the problem is I don’t really know how to describe that “box thingy” it slides into. Mine is a hardback with no dust jacket, and it fits into a container that’s open on one side. No date is written inside, either—only the numbers “20 19 18 17.” Thanks!
By black_bee1987
I thought *Catcher in the Rye* was really good and pretty well written, and weirdly it helped me get through that whole “teen to adult” shift even though I didn’t realize it at the time. I also liked the way Holden, who’s obviously not doing great mentally, eventually starts thinking more like an adult. He feels sharp about people and why they act the way they do, but that also seems to mess with him in the end and leads to him breaking down. Has anyone else read something that ended up sticking with them long-term? Edit: These replies are awesome, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought about it. Keep sharing your reasons. Edit Edit: There are so many comments it’s crazy. I’m bored at work, so I’m just sitting here reading them all—this is actually kind of fun lol.
By Electric-Clock1998
Margery Williams Bianco’s story feels like a kind of reminder of all the stuff you give up when you get older. Like, I’m not totally sure how to put it, but it hits that “what’s lost” feeling pretty hard.
By Prologue-Gold
Not sure why I ended up reading a kids’ book when I already knew it was for kids, but I kept seeing it everywhere online, so I figured I might as well read it so I’m not totally lost if people mention it. I was also curious what other people were into as children—I wasn’t reading English books growing up since I’m not a native English speaker. Plus I’d just watched a YouTube video where someone broke down another kids’ book (The Giving Tree), so I thought, why not try doing that kind of “thinking about it” myself. Overall, I actually found the story pretty imaginative and fun. If I ever have kids, I could totally see myself reading something like this to them. The writing style was kind of funny, and I liked that Wilbur keeps asking what words mean—it feels like a decent way to get kids comfortable with harder vocabulary. I also noticed that Charlotte seems way more like the giver in the friendship. It kinda felt uneven: Wilbur’s survival depends on Charlotte a lot, but they don’t really trade much back. I know Wilbur is “giving” in his own way by being her friend, but I still can’t help wondering if Charlotte was really into that relationship, because in the conversations she comes off as way more knowledgeable and is constantly explaining things. Even that part with her almost sacrificing her egg for Wilbur surprised me. I’m saying all this because maybe it’s not the healthiest friendship example for kids. I did like how the book handles Charlotte’s loss. I don’t think kid stories need to hide death or grief, and I thought it was honestly really beautiful. I also enjoyed that the animals felt like they had distinct personalities. I liked the contrast between Avery not getting what’s going on and his sister being able to understand. And I appreciated that humans weren’t painted as this perfect, shiny thing. So yeah, overall I’m just glad it wasn’t a waste of time. It was interesting and it was easy to read, like you’d expect.
By HarmonyMaple6981
I’m really curious about this book—just found it recently while moving. I’ve been seeing that there are multiple printings/editions, but I’m not sure what’s what. If anyone knows more, I’d really appreciate the info.
By WaterBayness76
I’m honestly just floored. We were at the Morgan Library and Museum last weekend—went to see the Tolkien and Shelley stuff—and then we wandered through the gift shop. That’s when I saw this gorgeous blue velvet hardcover of *The Velveteen Rabbit*. I practically shoved it into my husband’s hands like, “Look!” and he just goes, “So?” He’s never read it. His parents never read it to him, he didn’t even know what it was, and he’s never seen the movie either. So I tried to explain it and I kind of ended up flipping ahead to the part where the rabbit gets thrown away and then meets the fairy… Anyway, it hit me harder than I expected and I got all choked up, eyes all watery, and he was laughing like, “You’re really getting emotional over a book… in a gift shop?” Now I have my own hardbound copy, and I’m planning to read it out loud to him. I just had to tell someone—does anyone else still get teary over old childhood favorites?
By Panther7
I posted before and it blew up way more than I expected. I got a bunch of folks telling me they agreed with what I was saying, and then I also got hit with hate—plus publishers everywhere popping up to send cease and desist stuff. I figured people would be divided, but not like this. Anyway, me and my son aren’t backing down. We’re still trying to hold kids’ book authors to account, one title at a time. So here we go with more reviews of some of those books people always bring up: **The Rainbow Fish:** [TW] This one felt seriously messed up to me. It’s basically body shaming stuff, body dysmorphia vibes, and then it gets into self-harm territory in a pretty grim way. The fish is lonely and depressed, and the “solution” is that it tears itself up to fit in with the cool crowd. And yeah, there’s some sketchy behind-the-scenes villain energy too that I’m not even really going to try to explain. To me it’s a 2/5. **Goodnight Moon:** I’m sorry but this book doesn’t make sense. It’s got negligence and a bunch of weird contradictions. Why is a baby just left in bed with a fireplace going on? And who has a fireplace in the bedroom like that? Also, are the bunnies pets? And if they are, are the cats their pets too? Or are the cats pets of the bunnies? And the mush—was it even supposed to feed a kid? Because it sure wasn’t eaten. Feels like another “kid goes to bed hungry” situation. 1/5. **The Velveteen Rabbit:** This story mixes fantasy but the reality part feels really dark. The rabbit wants to be real, meets the skin horse, and it all goes downhill from there. There’s a whole boy-befriends-him situation, and then the boy gets sick, and the “solution” is that his stuff has to be burned, so the rabbit gets destroyed—then somehow he’s rescued and made “real” but basically just left out in the wild to figure it out. Then later he sees the boy again and the boy just shrugs and the book ends. I can’t get past that, so I’m calling it 0 stars. **Spare:** This guy has obviously been through a lot, and I do think some of the resilience is a good lesson for my son. But I’m honestly confused by some of the story arc, and I don’t really understand the weird thing with his brother. Still, the prince character—who gives up his position—does show courage when it really counts, even with that pressure from the queen. So I’m giving it 5/5.
By Early_Plate5379
BBC Culture apparently asked 177 kids’ book experts across 56 countries to come up with the biggest children’s books ever—apparently it’s a top 100 list, starting from stuff like Where the Wild Things Are and Haroun and the Sea of Stories. My personal favorite is The Phantom Tollbooth, and it shows up at #66. Also, I feel like these deserve mention even if they didn’t make the list: Sideways Stories from Wayside School, There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom, and the Nancy Drew series. So yeah—what’s everyone’s favorite kids’ book, whether it’s on the list or not?
By openspepper
Hey everyone! This is kind of a long shot, but me and my sister have this super strong memory of a kids’ book we read as little kids. Our great-grandmother would read it to us, and we just can’t remember the title no matter what. I think it was a big hardcover—like A4 size or even bigger—with a beige cover that felt kind of smooth. The pages were gold-lined, and it had a bunch of children’s stories in it. In my head, one of the stories might’ve been The Velveteen Rabbit, but my sister doesn’t think so. I also remember the illustrations being there, but pretty sparse overall. The front cover is what I’m least sure about—maybe it wasn’t fully illustrated. I think there was a gold rectangle and cursive gold writing for the title, but my mum just said there definitely were pictures on the front, so now I’m confused. Any ideas on what this could be would be amazing. TIA!!
By cafe-clear
I read this book at my local library years ago about a little girl who gets a baby sister and she starts feeling really jealous, mostly because her parents are spending so much time with the infant. Then the baby dies from SIDS, and the girl basically feels like it’s her fault—like she somehow caused it. It was supposed to be educational too, but the pictures were what really got me. Like there were illustrations of the crib and even the funeral. I can’t even think about it without getting tears in my eyes, but I genuinely can’t remember the title. And yeah, another one that wrecked me is “Sadako.” It’s a true story about Sadako Sasaki in Hiroshima who finds out she has cancer about ten years after the atomic bomb. Her grandma died in the attack, and Sadako tries to do the whole tradition of folding 1000 origami cranes. But she doesn’t make it—she dies less than a year after she’s diagnosed. Her friends and classmates finish folding the rest, and she’s buried with all the cranes. It’s just so, so depressing, and there isn’t really some “everything works out” message in it. It’s more like… no matter how positive you stay or how much you try to keep going, when it’s your time, it’s your time.
By cosmos_peastone
This is Bunny—he’s over 30 now, and he’s basically been my constant for as long as I can remember. Like, when I was a kid, I actually reached out to the company because of the tag (Mary Meyer) and asked if they could tell me anything about him. A few years ago—maybe about a decade back?—they wrote back and sent me a scan from an old Mary Meyer Easter catalog from the 90s. I learned his real name is Lickety Split. He’s had a pretty rough life, but somehow he’s never ripped, and even though the mesh is super threadbare, it’s holding up amazingly. I’m really impressed with Mary Meyer still being around. I’m not affiliated or anything, just genuinely wowed. The other picture is from today after his “spa day.” He gets two bubble baths (different soaps), dried with air fluff, then a bunch of brushing to soften him up carefully. I honestly can’t remember him ever being fluffy—he’s been exactly how he is to me for forever. Every Christmas and Easter he also gets a new ribbon. Bunny was always the leader of my stuffed animals and my nighttime protector. When I was little I’d tuck his big pink ear against my cheek to fall asleep, and even now, if I’m sick or sad, I still do it because it’s the same soft. I still sleep with him, but he doesn’t really go traveling. If I ever lost him… yeah, I think my heart would actually break. Sometimes I feel like I put a tiny piece of myself into him when I was young and never got it back. And now he just feels real in a way other toys don’t. I love hearing about other people’s ancient plushies and watching how the stuff we love changes right along with us. It’s Christmas Eve, so in a little bit a bunch of kids are going to meet their “forever toy” without even knowing it yet. Tell me about yours?
By wonderhoney40
Rereading Margery Williams’ *The Velveteen Rabbit* (1922) and wow—I forgot how rough and intense that back-and-forth is between the Rabbit and the Skin Horse. The lines aren’t long or fancy, but they hit you like something really heavy. It feels kind of like a really bleak play or a poem, where the simple questions end up feeling huge. “What is REAL?” the Rabbit asks, like, right there beside the nursery stuff, before Nana comes in to tidy. And the Skin Horse basically says being “real” isn’t about how you’re built—it’s what happens after a child actually loves you for a long time, not just for fun. Then the Rabbit keeps asking questions: does it hurt? does it happen all at once? And the Skin Horse is honest that it can hurt, but when you’re real you don’t mind. It also takes forever, and by the time you get there you’re kind of wrecked looking—hair loved off, eyes gone, joints loose, all shabby. But he’s like… none of that matters, because only people who don’t get it call you ugly. I don’t even know if that’s comforting or depressing, but it’s definitely making some kind of point about what it costs to be truly known. Like, you don’t get “real” without getting worn down first. And somehow that wear-and-tear becomes the whole thing.
By paleAtlas6
The velvetine rabbit was brown and white. Either it was some kind of pink bunny… or it’s just not a bunny, period. No bunny at all. Like, 100% no bunny at all.
By aquapanda
The first one that really sticks with me is the first Sword of Truth book. I was a kid when the TV show was airing, so it sounded kinda cool. I’d probably read some LoTR and Narnia stuff before it, but I hadn’t really gotten into fantasy beyond that, and I didn’t know anything about it—I just grabbed it from the library. I don’t remember much except that it felt way too long, with random over-detailed stuff and dialogue that dragged, and then those awful torture scenes involving the main guy. I honestly couldn’t even tell if what was happening was meant to be sexual or not, but either way it really freaked me out. And since I was a 90s/early-2000s kid, I definitely didn’t ask my parents about it or anything. Also, just to clarify: I’m not really asking which books were just “scary” as a kid—more like which ones left you messed up, like they scarred you or traumatized you a bit because you weren’t ready for that kind of content.
By cosmos_peastone
I read this when I was a kid, so I’m guessing it’s some kind of juvenile book. There’s a girl in it who catches scarlet fever (or maybe yellow fever?) and then the deal is that all her toys and stuff have to get burned. I don’t think it was The Velveteen Rabbit, though—because I’m pretty sure the character was a girl. I actually figured it would be Anne of Green Gables, and I was ready to recognize the scene, but it wasn’t there at all, and I hadn’t read it before. So now I’m not sure, but I think there was another series like Anne of Green Gables, kind of in the same time period, maybe more for younger kids, and it might have been written more recently. Could it be Velveteen Rabbit and I just got a couple things mixed up? Yeah, that’s possible, but this is what I remember.
By zenithValley
I honestly love this book, but I don’t think I’ve ever made it through the ending without crying. Even when I’m reading it as an adult and I’m like, “Okay, I’m not going to cry—this is a kids’ book,” somehow I still end up crying by the end. And yeah, this article even got me crying too.
By teashore
My oldest just turned 6, and I’ve been reading her chapter books for years. Her first big one was Charlotte’s Web and she was totally hooked—like, hanging on every word. So when I stumbled on Stuart Little in the basement, I figured it would be a great next read for her. The kids stayed into it while I did a chapter a night, but once we finished, everyone was kind of… stunned? It didn’t wrap up neatly like a typical kids’ book. With Stuart, the whole “journey” doesn’t really land on anything you can predict, and there are all these loose ends that don’t get tied off. My daughter kept insisting there had to be another book, but I was like, nope, that’s it. The unfinished bits were basically the point, I guess, because the questions kept following us right into bedtime. Anyway, I’m still sitting here later thinking about what actually happened and what it all meant. Has anyone read it lately? I know there’s a movie, but I’ve never seen it—so I have no idea how it matches up. If you have seen it, do you think it sticks to the book, and do you feel like it’s close or totally different? And yeah, I have my own thoughts, but I’m not even sure I’m right. I sort of feel like Stuart is meant to stand in for something more than just a mouse. Like he’s “born” different, in that same way people talk about Gregor Samsa waking up changed. But he’s kind of weirdly confident about it—he doesn’t really act like being a mouse is a problem, and he doesn’t seem to spend the whole time wishing he wasn’t. He just accepts it, and everyone else kind of accepts it too. The way I read it, the early part feels like childhood—dealing with a bully (Snowbell the cat) and then having that first big love for real (Margalo), except it’s doomed and confusing, not some clean fairy-tale thing. The love is there, but it never works out how you’d want. Then she’s gone, for reasons you don’t get to fully “fix,” and it’s like… isn’t that kind of how real life goes? You think you found the perfect dream, then one day it just disappears, and suddenly you’re spending years chasing after something that probably isn’t even around anymore. Stuart just can’t let it go. He even finds the “perfect” place and a girl who fits his world better than anyone—everything looks right—so it feels extra painful when it still doesn’t work out the way he pictured. That part feels so real it almost doesn’t feel like a kids’ story. By the end, it’s like he keeps going and fades out with this last fork in the road—like he had the chance to stop the whole pursuit, but he doesn’t. And the book kind of leans into hope, like it was all the right choice, but it honestly felt to me more like Stuart talking himself into it again. I finished the last page feeling really sad. Not “cute story sad,” but like he spent his life still longing for something he never truly got, wandering through beautiful places he couldn’t even fully enjoy because his head was stuck on a love that was already gone. And I haven’t even gotten into the boat race or that invisible car that makes absolutely no sense.
By hardcoverStorm
It seems adorable, but I’m not sure I could actually sit through it. I read the book when I was a kid and ended up crying so much I made myself feel sick.
By storybeaver93
I’d say /r/Books is a good place to look too. This sub is basically for finding books from other people’s suggestions, which is pretty useful. There are also a bunch of helpful posts, like beginner/veteran/expert recs, what to read after Harry Potter, stuff like Game of Thrones, best books of 2019, and all that. And there are a few related book subreddits listed as well. They also lay out the posting rules pretty clearly, especially about spoilers and what kinds of submissions/comments aren’t allowed.
By DawnBookworm2
My wife’s favorite kids’ book of all time is The Velveteen Rabbit. We actually had a reading at our wedding from the part with the Skin Horse and what it means to be “Real.” I’ve been trying to find an older hardcover version as a surprise for her, but it’s harder than I thought. We’re having our first baby, Giulia Louise, in May, so it feels like it would be perfect for both of them. I’ve seen some on Amazon and eBay, but they’re usually newer copies, or someone’s written in it and there are markings inside. If anyone knows where I could hunt down a real older copy—like a local bookstore or antique shop—I’d really appreciate the tip. Thanks in advance! P.S. If this isn’t the right place to post, sorry—tell me where it should go and I’ll move it.