The velveteen rabbit, or, How toys become real

This hundredth-anniversary edition of Williams' classic story features illustrations from Caldecott medalist Stead (A Sick Day for Amos McGee, 2010) that will entice a new generation of children to read or listen to the classic tale. Using muted gray, green, purple, and sepia tones, the illustrations, created with woodblock printing and pencil, have a timeless appeal and pay tribute to the century-old story. One Christmas morning, a young boy finds a brown-and-white spotted toy rabbit in his stocking along with almonds, oranges, and other small toys. Appealing pictures depict the stuffed bunny with long floppy ears, a white tummy, and obvious stitching that holds in his sawdust stuffing. After being admired for a short time, this Velveteen Rabbit is relegated to the nursery's toy cupboard but eventually becomes the child's constant companion until an illness separates them. Though ignored by the more expensive toys, the rabbit befriends the Skin Horse, who imparts his knowledge on how toys become Real: "'Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time . . . then you become Real.'" Every double-page spread is decorated with charming illustrations that include small vignettes of the rabbit, old-fashioned toys, butterflies, flowers, and ferns. A beautiful, appealing update of this ageless story.

PreS-Gr 2--First published in 1922, Williams's tale gives children a taste of the longer picture books that were once the norm but with all new illustrations. Stead's delicate woodblock print and pencil illustrations--listed and numbered in the front--match the lovely old-fashioned quality of the tale. For anyone unfamiliar with the original, it is a story of the relationship between a boy and a stuffed toy that becomes "real" by virtue of the fact that it is well loved by the child and essential to his growth and imagination. When the boy recovers from a bout of scarlet fever, the beloved rabbit is thought to be a source of infection and destined for the trash. But magic intervenes at the end, transforming the toy into a real rabbit just as the boy is presumably ready to leave childhood behind. VERDICT Living in such uncertain times, modern children have grown accustomed to seeing hardships reflected in their books; this is a sweet and loving break from that, and a beautiful story as well.--Gloria Koster

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?" "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." Excerpted from The Velveteen Rabbit, or, How Toys Become Real All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.