Friday, November 30, 2007

The Velveteen Rabbit, Final Word

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.

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