Audiobook · read by volunteers
Velveteen Rabbit
Margery Williams (1881–1944)
Read by Marlo Dianne · 1 chapter · 28 min
About the book
A shabby little rabbit, made of velveteen, lives in a nursery among grander toys. The mechanical ones scorn him, and the old Skin Horse, wise from years of being loved, tells him a secret: that toys become Real when a child loves them for a long time, and that it does not happen to those who break easily or have sharp edges. The rabbit longs to be Real, and he is given a chance to find out what that means, through a boy's devotion and some adventures that the boy never quite understands. Margery Williams's story is gentle, honest and beautifully simple, and it has been moving children and grown-ups since 1922. It takes about half an hour, read here by a single LibriVox volunteer. A small book with a very large heart.
Introduction
Margery Williams, born in 1881 and died in 1944, was an English-born author who spent much of her life in the United States. She had written novels for adults before turning to children's stories, and The Velveteen Rabbit, or How Toys Become Real, published in 1922, was her first book for the young. It eclipsed everything else she wrote and became a classic, loved for its tenderness and for its simple, searching question: what does it mean to be real?
Williams later wrote that the story began almost by accident, from thinking about toys and remembering them. The book includes figures who feel like old friends, among them the wise Skin Horse, and it treats the inner life of toys with complete seriousness. Behind the sweet surface is a thoughtful meditation on love, ageing and loss, which is why the book is often read aloud at moments when children and parents want to talk about feelings.
Over the decades it has been illustrated by many artists and adapted for the screen and stage, and it has become a familiar gift for children. It is, nevertheless, a story that rewards the listener rather than the reader, because its repeating phrases and soft cadences are made for the ear.
This recording is a single chapter of about half an hour, read by a LibriVox volunteer. It is suitable for bedtime, for a car journey or for a quiet moment alone, and it remains as touching as ever.
Public domain
Margery Williams died in 1944: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text