Rating: 
Summary: ...
Review: There is definately a touch of sadness to "The Velveteen Rabbit," and yet there is a lot of joy, too. Margery Williams manages to tap into our emotions to make us feel the scope of the different feelings presented.
Yes, we feel sad when the rabbit is tossed in the trash to get burned. Sure, we feel awkward when two real rabbits ask where his hind legs are. But does that not make his final transformation that much better?
That is set up in the begining discussion with Skin Horse, who says, "When you are real, you don't mind being hurt." REAL is the ultimate. It's what you strive for. Yes, there will be pain but that will be followed by joy.
Read this classic and learn from it.
(Also reccomended is Hoban's "The Mouse and His Child" and "The Velveteen Priciples: A Guide To Becoming Real" by Toni Raiten-D'Antonio.)
Rating:
Summary: Classic, sweet and a must for children of all ages
Review: This was my mother's favorite story, so she read it to me as a child and I really never appreciated it as much as when I was older and read it to my children... maybe that's the way it's supposed to go? My son used to grab this book from his shelf a lot for me to read to him - and it was just to see mommy cry (I always cry when I read this book), he knew the book by heart and coached me when my throat was too tight to speak through the 'emotional' parts. He surprised me last year in 1st grade when he took the book into class to read to his classmates (I didn't know he took it). His teacher called me up telling me how much of a good reader he is... and that he cried when he read the book to his classmates... wow. Books seldom leave a mark, but this one sure does... sorta like a legacy. This book makes me 'real'.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic & beloved story about love. The best version ever
Review: The Velveteen Rabbit is such a wonderful book! But Donna Green makes this version absolutely stunning! The pictures are the best I have ever seen! I'd say this is the best version I have seen. You will not be disappointed to have this in your child's collection of books!!!!
There is also a photo book that has a lot of Donna Green's illustrations from this book that is absolutely stunning when you add our own personal photos!
Rating:
Summary: "Does it hurt to be real?"
Review: This is my all-time favorite children's book! The story opens on Christmas morning, as a little boy receives a stuffed rabbit and plays with it - for a few minutes. Gradually, the boy does come to love the rabbit, whose innocent little heart almost bursts with joy, because he knows that being loved is how toys become "real." The boy and rabbit are fast friends, until one day the boy becomes very sick...
This story is so timeless and honest in its emotion, you will not be able to read it without shedding tears. The little bunny's desire to be real, and how that wish comes true, make for a classic story that I enjoy reading again and again. It deserves more than 5 stars. Read it aloud with your child!
Rating: 
Summary: Little rabbit in the woods
Review: Color me a tiny bit surprised. A tiny bit. In remembering the story of "The Velveteen Rabbit" I had placed it somewhere on par with syrupy sappy stories like "The Giving Tree" or "Love You Forever". I had believed for quite some time that this book was an old but nonetheless overly sentimental tale that even the most dewey-eyed of youngsters would have some difficulty swallowing. Then I reread it recently and I found that I was not correct in all of my assumptions. Yes, "The Velveteen Rabbit" has its flaws. It is prone to a couple ooey-gooey moments here and there, but on the whole it is a strong well-written work. This is not a book that has earned its title as one of the best known and beloved works of fiction for children lightly.
All children wish that their toys were real and could have feelings like the rest of us. This kind of desire is what has spawned everything from the movie "Toy Story" to the classic Newbery Award winning book, "Hitty: Her First 100 Years". In the case of "The Velveteen Rabbit", this wish is taken to an entirely different level. In the beginning, a boy is given a fluffy stuffed rabbit made of softest velveteen. The rabbit is told by an old skin horse about the wonders of one day becoming real, and it becomes the rabbit's deepest wish. As the boy grows to love the rabbit and wear him down, the rabbit feels that he has indeed grown real. One day the boy comes down with scarlet fever and it is necessary to burn the rabbit along with all his other toys. Fortunately, the rabbit is saved by a magic fairy that turns him into a real rabbit. A little time later the boy is out playing when he sees a rabbit that looks just like the old toy he used to own, little knowing that his toy has come back briefly to bid him one last look.
I'm particularly attached to the editions of this tale that are accompanied by Michael Hague's illustrations. Very popular in the 1980s, Hague has the ability to draw illustrations that are at once touching and at the same time a little realistic. His pictures are filled with little touches and details that clever eyes might enjoy locating. For example, a page displaying the velveteen rabbit and other toys shows a small frog toy looking very much like the Frog character from Hague's version of "Wind in the Willows". On the bookshelf sits his edition of "The Wizard of Oz", easily identifiable by its spine. As for the characters in the pictures, they are delightful. The rabbit grows floppier and more raggedy as the book goes on (not suprising when the boy enjoys dragging it about by one ear). The boy himself is a ruddy faced youth, as apt to tease the bunny as he is to lavish it with love and affection. Hague has a way with light and color that make these pictures virtually leap off of their pages, and the result is a beautiful and elegant series of prints.
I am pleased to report that "The Velveteen Rabbit" is just as important today as it has ever been. This beautiful tale should always be accompanied by beautiful pictures, and so we are fortunate that Michael Hague lent it his skills. I have no doubt that your children will be entranced by this tale. I have even less doubt that you will find something in it yourself to make you pause and think over. Simple and eloquent.
Rating:
Summary: ALWAYS A FAVORITE!
Review: Most youngsters have a favorite toy, which may be why they have always loved The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real. Today small eyes and ears will respond just as eagerly to the
reassuring story of a stuffed rabbit miraculously transformed by love.
First published in 1922, this classic tale loses none of its power in today's brightly illustrated abridged version which is more accessible for a younger audience. Ages 3 and up.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Children's Books ever
Review: This was my favorite book growing up, and started a love of reading that I have to this day. The message it gives is timeless -- magic can happen if you are steadfast and believe. I recommend this for all children, and for anyone who needs to be reminded of the power of love.
Rating:
Summary: Hope my stuffed animals become real!
Review: I'm 32 and have introduced this book to my husband, 38, who had never read it as a kid. We just lost our old stuffed animals as a result of a fire in our house: -Chigger, a stuffed tiger my husband gave me for Valentine's day the first year we were married
-Pierre, a handmade stuffed cat discolored from tearstains, with fraying ears and a rather rubbed-off felt face that I got at my grandmother's church crafts fair when I was about 7
-Ted E. Bear, my mother's bear from when she was pregnant with me
-Floppy, a little floppy dog I got my husband at Walgreens while I was out buying medicine for him late one night this fall.
-Brown Beauty, who looks like I always imagined the Skin Horse...not physically beautiful at all but very gentle. Would you believe the home restoration company washed the animals and then...accidently threw them in the dumpster. Ouch. So I told my husband about this book, and now we can imagine that somewhere, there's a real tiger, a real cat, a real dog and a real brown bear who can finally run and jump like the others. All of them were loved.
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