It's no secret that this is one of my favorite books of all time for many reasons--the story, the illustrations, the life lessons, the magic, etc. etc. I know I'm not alone though. This book has been around for 85 years, and I've found glowing reviews about it everywhere. Of course I should mention that I have found a couple of critics, but after all their big words, what they've really had to say is that "it's too sentimental." Ummm...okay. Perhaps I should warn you parents...the rabbit cries once in the book.
This brings me back again to the point I made about The Giving Tree last week. The best books make us feel something and give us something with which we can identify. They show us that we are not the only ones who have the same feelings...whether it's happiness or anger or sadness or loneliness. Tell me what your favorite book is, and I bet it's not one that's void of emotion. The fact is that we're human and our kids are too, and books that show a variety of emotions teach them that it's okay to feel. So, I do agree with the critics, The Velveteen Rabbit is sentimental in that respect, but I don't think it's "too sentimental" whatever that means.
If you're looking for a heartwarming story with some important underlying lessons, I highly recommend this book.
Showing posts with label margery williams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label margery williams. Show all posts
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Life Lessons From the Velveteen Rabbit
So why has a book about a boy and his bunny remained so popular and well-loved for 85 years? Why do I still get the warm fuzzies when I think about this book? I’ve pondered these questions this week as I’ve been writing about the book, and I’ve come to realize that this book is everlasting because it teaches some important lessons. It’s much more than a book about a rabbit and the boy who loved it.
It’s a story about unconditional love and real beauty--beauty that comes from the inside. The rabbit is teased first by the more modern and “high tech” toys in the boy’s room because he has no cranks or springs or other mechanical parts. Then he’s teased by the real rabbits because he doesn’t look like a real rabbit. This makes the rabbit sad and self-conscious. I don’t know how old children are when they start worrying about the way they look and how others perceive them, but I do know it starts very early. I am not looking forward to the day when my daughter comes home feeling bad about herself because she was teased, but I am not too naïve to think that it won’t happen. All children are teased at some point by someone, and unfortunately, some more than others. So, I think all children who read this book can identify with the rabbit and how he feels when he’s teased. However, the book soon teaches you that beauty is really not about how you look…it’s about who you are inside, and when someone loves you for who you really are, the way you look doesn’t matter. The old, shabby skin horse and then the old shabby velveteen rabbit prove this point. The boy’s uncle and the boy respectively loved their toys so much that the toys became real to them, and even when they were old and beat up and not as new and shiny as the other toys, they were still the most-loved toys.
I remember in my Calculus class in college, I was grouped with a girl whose left side of her face was severely scarred by a dog attack when she was 8 years old. The scarring was so severe that I couldn’t help but notice it every time I talked to her. Then as the semester went on and I got to know her as a person, I didn’t notice the scars as much. One day my roommate asked me what the name of the girl with the scarred face was and it took me a minute to figure out who my roommate was talking about. I knew her as “my friend Britney”, not the girl with the scarred face. In The Velveteen Rabbit, the boy doesn’t notice that the rabbit has become old and shabby because he loves him so much, and it teaches us all to remember to look on the inside and see people and ourselves for who we really are.
Another feature that has made this book endure is its magic. The toys come to life when the boy is asleep or away from his room. This theme has been repeated over and over in books like the Raggedy Ann and Andy series and movies like Toy Story. There’s just something about getting inside the heads of toys to see what they do and what they talk about when you’re not around. I remember when I was little, I used to pretend to sleep hoping and praying that I would see my toys “wake up” and play. I was even convinced they could tell the difference in my breathing, so I would breath deeply and heavily and was always bummed when I woke up the next day because I actually had fallen asleep and missed out on the adventures. Look at tales like Pinocchio and Cinderella that have been around forever. Kids love magic especially when there is a happy ending, and in the Velveteen Rabbit, there is a very happy ending. The magic nursery fairy turns him into a real bunny. What more can you ask for?
There are many many other lessons and quality elements in this book that make it so well-loved, but alas, I’m writing a blog, not a novel. I look forward to the day when I can share this story with my little girl and see her enjoy it as much as I did.
Please tell me--why do you love this book?
It’s a story about unconditional love and real beauty--beauty that comes from the inside. The rabbit is teased first by the more modern and “high tech” toys in the boy’s room because he has no cranks or springs or other mechanical parts. Then he’s teased by the real rabbits because he doesn’t look like a real rabbit. This makes the rabbit sad and self-conscious. I don’t know how old children are when they start worrying about the way they look and how others perceive them, but I do know it starts very early. I am not looking forward to the day when my daughter comes home feeling bad about herself because she was teased, but I am not too naïve to think that it won’t happen. All children are teased at some point by someone, and unfortunately, some more than others. So, I think all children who read this book can identify with the rabbit and how he feels when he’s teased. However, the book soon teaches you that beauty is really not about how you look…it’s about who you are inside, and when someone loves you for who you really are, the way you look doesn’t matter. The old, shabby skin horse and then the old shabby velveteen rabbit prove this point. The boy’s uncle and the boy respectively loved their toys so much that the toys became real to them, and even when they were old and beat up and not as new and shiny as the other toys, they were still the most-loved toys.
I remember in my Calculus class in college, I was grouped with a girl whose left side of her face was severely scarred by a dog attack when she was 8 years old. The scarring was so severe that I couldn’t help but notice it every time I talked to her. Then as the semester went on and I got to know her as a person, I didn’t notice the scars as much. One day my roommate asked me what the name of the girl with the scarred face was and it took me a minute to figure out who my roommate was talking about. I knew her as “my friend Britney”, not the girl with the scarred face. In The Velveteen Rabbit, the boy doesn’t notice that the rabbit has become old and shabby because he loves him so much, and it teaches us all to remember to look on the inside and see people and ourselves for who we really are.
Another feature that has made this book endure is its magic. The toys come to life when the boy is asleep or away from his room. This theme has been repeated over and over in books like the Raggedy Ann and Andy series and movies like Toy Story. There’s just something about getting inside the heads of toys to see what they do and what they talk about when you’re not around. I remember when I was little, I used to pretend to sleep hoping and praying that I would see my toys “wake up” and play. I was even convinced they could tell the difference in my breathing, so I would breath deeply and heavily and was always bummed when I woke up the next day because I actually had fallen asleep and missed out on the adventures. Look at tales like Pinocchio and Cinderella that have been around forever. Kids love magic especially when there is a happy ending, and in the Velveteen Rabbit, there is a very happy ending. The magic nursery fairy turns him into a real bunny. What more can you ask for?
There are many many other lessons and quality elements in this book that make it so well-loved, but alas, I’m writing a blog, not a novel. I look forward to the day when I can share this story with my little girl and see her enjoy it as much as I did.
Please tell me--why do you love this book?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Spotlight on Margery Williams Bianco
Margery Williams Bianco
Margery Williams Bianco wrote The Velveteen Rabbit in 1922 when she was 41 years old. A professional writer since the age of nineteen, she wrote a number of children’ sbooks and novels, but none achieved the fame or the classical status of The Velveteen Rabbit. Born in London, Williams Bianco developed a passion for reading and writing at an early age and carried that with her throughout her lifetime. She and her family moved to the United States when she was 9 years old, where she lived until she was 19 years old. She then returned to London to start her writing career.
She married her husband Francisco Bianco three years later, and had two children. She put her writing career on hold to become a full-time mother. Margery and her family left the war-torn Europe and settled in the United States in 1918 and by 1922 had resumed her writing career, publishing her first American book, The Velveteen Rabbit.
Margery spent the rest of her life writing children’s books and young adult novels. Her most notable book after The Velveteen Rabbit was Winterbound, a young adult novel that was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal in 1937. She died in 1944 at the age of 63.
Margery Williams Bianco wrote The Velveteen Rabbit in 1922 when she was 41 years old. A professional writer since the age of nineteen, she wrote a number of children’ sbooks and novels, but none achieved the fame or the classical status of The Velveteen Rabbit. Born in London, Williams Bianco developed a passion for reading and writing at an early age and carried that with her throughout her lifetime. She and her family moved to the United States when she was 9 years old, where she lived until she was 19 years old. She then returned to London to start her writing career.
She married her husband Francisco Bianco three years later, and had two children. She put her writing career on hold to become a full-time mother. Margery and her family left the war-torn Europe and settled in the United States in 1918 and by 1922 had resumed her writing career, publishing her first American book, The Velveteen Rabbit.
Margery spent the rest of her life writing children’s books and young adult novels. Her most notable book after The Velveteen Rabbit was Winterbound, a young adult novel that was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal in 1937. She died in 1944 at the age of 63.
The Velveteen Rabbit Learning Activities
Activities to Build Language and Vocabulary:
Favorite Toy: Have your child pick his/her favorite toy and describe what it looks like, why it is his/her favorite, where he/she got it, etc. Talk about all of the different toys in the story. Point to the pictures on the pages, and ask him/her to name each toy.
Animals: The book features rabbits and a toy horse. Have your child talk about his or her favorite animal. Identify other animals he/she likes. Find a picture book with animals and point to each one, naming them as you point. Ask your child to make the sound the animal makes. For beginning readers, spell out the name of the animal.
Emotions: Talk about the different emotions the Velveteen Rabbit felt, and when he felt each emotion. Ask your child to talk about a time when he/she was happy, excited, sad, etc.
Friendship: Ask your child to describe his/her friends and what they like most about each one. Tell your child the same about your friends.
Gifts: Discuss gifts and ask your child to talk about his/her favorite gift.
Favorite Toy: Have your child pick his/her favorite toy and describe what it looks like, why it is his/her favorite, where he/she got it, etc. Talk about all of the different toys in the story. Point to the pictures on the pages, and ask him/her to name each toy.
Animals: The book features rabbits and a toy horse. Have your child talk about his or her favorite animal. Identify other animals he/she likes. Find a picture book with animals and point to each one, naming them as you point. Ask your child to make the sound the animal makes. For beginning readers, spell out the name of the animal.
Emotions: Talk about the different emotions the Velveteen Rabbit felt, and when he felt each emotion. Ask your child to talk about a time when he/she was happy, excited, sad, etc.
Friendship: Ask your child to describe his/her friends and what they like most about each one. Tell your child the same about your friends.
Gifts: Discuss gifts and ask your child to talk about his/her favorite gift.
Monday, November 26, 2007
The Velveteen Rabbit, Overview
Fast Facts:
Author: Margery Williams
Illustrator: Don Daily
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Courage Bks.; Revised edition (September 24, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0762430230
ISBN-13: 978-0762430239
Overview:
First published in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit
begins with a boy who receives a stuffed rabbit for Christmas. The boy enjoys the rabbit for a little while but then puts it aside for other toys. The rabbit is soon forgotten and placed in the toy cupboard only to be snubbed by the fancier mechanical toys. The rabbit’s only friend is an old shabby Skin Horse who tells him that you become “real” when you are truly loved. One day the boy misplaces his china dog. For the next few seasons, the rabbit never leaves the boy’s side until the boy becomes ill with scarlet fever. When he recovers, he is sent to the seaside and all of his “diseased” toys, including the rabbit, are left to be burned. As the rabbit is waiting to be burned, he sheds a real tear. Suddenly, a magic fairy appears and turns him into a real rabbit. Impression:
When I was a little girl, I remember reading this story over and over again. The beautiful images, the vivid language, and the magic make this heartwarming story of a little rabbit who only wants to be loved one of my favorite stories of all time. It’s also a great story to put you in the holiday spirit. If you’re looking for a nice story to read with all of your children, I highly recommend The Velveteen Rabbit
. For Parents of Babies and Really Young Little Ones:
I tried to read this to my daughter last night, and she was entranced by the images for a while. Then she tried to rip the pages out. Not a reaction to the book—she’s in the “ripping” phase. She tried to rip the head off one of the characters in an Alice in Wonderland last week. Luckily, I found a number of board book versions
of the Velveteen Rabbit on Amazon. Perhaps I will put one on my wish list.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Next Week's Book, The Velveteen Rabbit
This is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I remember reading it over and over again when I was a little girl. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say next week! Have a fantastic weekend!
Favorite Passage:
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day. "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. It doesn't happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. 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."
Favorite Passage:
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day. "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. It doesn't happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. 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."
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