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The Velveteen Rabbit (1922) is a children's book by Margery Williams Bianco. Illustrated by renowned British painter William Nicholson, The Velveteen Rabbit has endured as a children's classic for nearly a century. Adapted numerous times for film and television, Bianco's heartwarming story is beloved for its universal and timeless morals by children and adults alike.
Gifted to a young boy on Christmas day, the velveteen rabbit is soon cast aside for modern, mechanical toys. Left in the nursery, the rabbit meets the wise old Skin Horse, a toy passed down to the boy from his uncle. The Skin Horse tells the rabbit how, when treated with love by their owners, toys are magically granted life. Initially hopeful, the rabbit soon despairs of its lonely stay in the nursery, and longs for a life in the world outside. When the boy's nanny comes looking for a toy for the boy to sleep with, however, the velveteen rabbit is given a chance to live. The boy soon grows found of the rabbit, taking the toy with him on picnics and trips to the garden, where the velveteen rabbit meets real rabbits and longs even more to join them. When the boy is struck with scarlet fever, however, the doctor orders that all of his belongings must be disinfected or burned, and the velveteen rabbit is placed in a sack and left in the garden overnight. As the rabbit begins to cry, the magic of love begins its work, ensuring the rabbit will not only live, but embark on a wonderful adventure of its own.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Margery Williams Bianco's The Velveteen Rabbit is a classic of children's fiction reimagined for modern readers.
About the author
Margery Williams Bianco (1881-1944) was an English American children's book writer. Born in London, she was encouraged to read from a young age by her father, a barrister and classics scholar. In 1890, following her father's untimely death, Williams and her sister moved with their mother Pennsylvania, where Margery was enrolled at the Covent School in Sharon Hill. Marked by her father's death, however, and by his encouragement of her literary and creative interests, Margery returned to London in 1901 to embark on a career as a professional writer. She published her first novel,
The Late Returning, in 1902, and though it failed commercially she was encouraged to write and publish several more works of fiction. After meeting him through her publisher, Margery married Francesco Bianco in 1904, and the two had a son and a daughter. The family moved from England to Paris before settling in Turin, Italy, where Francesco joined the Italian Army to fight in the First World War. During this difficult time, Margery found solace in the works of English writer Walter de la Mare, who would inspire much of her work to come. In 1921, Margery and Francesco moved their family to Greenwich Village, where their daughter Pamela, a child prodigy, excelled as a painter. In 1922, inspired by de le Mare's works, Bianco published her most famous book,
The Velveteen Rabbit. Recognized as a classic work of children's literature, it has been adapted numerous times for radio, theatre, film, and television. In 1937, Bianco was awarded a Newbery Medal for her book
Winterbound.
