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The Velveteen Rabbit
The Velveteen Rabbit
lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown
OR HOW TOYS BECOME REAL coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had
by Margery Williams been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of
Illustrations by William Nicholson mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away,
DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC. and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is
Garden City, Hubo New York very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the
Skin Horse understand all about it.
To Francesco Bianco "What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery
from The Velveteen Rabbit fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a
stick-out handle?"
List of Illustrations "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child
Christmas Morning loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
The Skin Horse Tells His Story "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
Spring Time "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind
Summer Days being hurt."
Anxious Times "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
The Fairy Flower "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it
At Last! At Last! doesn't happen often 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
HERE was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once
He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On "I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the
Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.
sprig of holly between his paws, the effect was charming.
There were other things in the stocking, nuts and oranges and a toy engine, and
chocolate almonds and a clockwork mouse, but the Rabbit was quite the best of
all. For at least two hours the Boy loved him, and then Aunts and Uncles came to
dinner, and there was a great rustling of tissue paper and unwrapping of parcels, and in the
excitement of looking at all the new presents the Velveteen Rabbit was forgotten.
At Last! At Last!
Autumn passed and Winter, and in the Spring, when the days grew warm and sunny, the Boy went
out to play in the wood behind the house. And while he was playing, two rabbits crept out from the
bracken and peeped at him. One of them was brown all over, but the other had strange markings
under his fur, as though long ago he had been spotted, and the spots still showed through. And about
his little soft nose and his round black eyes there was something familiar, so that the Boy thought to
himself:
"Why, he looks just like my old Bunny that was lost when I had scarlet fever!"
But he never knew that it really was his own Bunny, come back to look at the child who had first
helped him to be Real.
.
This book has been put on-line as part of the BUILD-A-BOOK Initiative at the Celebration of Women
Writers.
Initial text entry and proof-reading of this book were the work of John Mark Ockerbloom and Mary
Mark Ockerbloom.
4
El conejo de terciopelo el gobierno. Entre todos ellos el pobre Conejito fue hecho sentirse asimismo muy insignificante y
O como los juguetes se volvieron de verdad común, y la única persona quien era amable con el totalmente fue el Caballo de Piel.
Por Margaret Williams El Caballo de Piel había vivido mas tiempo en la guardería que cualquiera de los otros. Él era tan
Ilustraciones de William Nicholson viejo que su piel café estaba calva en retazos y mostraba las costuras por debajo y la mayoría de los
Doubleday & Company INC cabellos de su cola habían sido arrancados fuera de la cuerda del collar de cuentas. Él era sabio
Ciudad Jardín Nueva York porque él había visto una larga sucesión de juguetes mecánicos llegar a jactarse y pavonearse, y
más tarde rota su fuerza motriz y fallecer, y él sabia que estos eran solo juguetes, y nunca podrían
Para Francesco Bianco convertirse en algo mas. Porque una guardería mágica es muy extraña y maravillosa y solo estos
De El Conejo de Terciopelo juguetes que son viejos y sabios y experimentados como el Caballo de Piel entienden todo acerca de
esto.
Lista de Ilustraciones “¿Que es de verdad?” Pregunto el Conejo un día, cuando ellos estaban acostados lado a lado cerca
Mañana de navidad del guardafango de la guardería, previamente Nana llegó a limpiar la habitación. “¿Significa tener
El caballo de piel cuenta su historia cosas que zumban dentro de ti y una manija?”
Tiempo de primavera “De verdad no es como estas hecho”, dijo el Caballo de Piel. “Es una cosa que te pasa. Cuando un
Días de verano niño te ama por mucho, mucho tiempo, no solo para jugar contigo, pero realmente te ama, entonces
Tiempos ansiosos te vuelves de verdad”.
La flor hada “¿Duele?” preguntó el conejo.
“A veces”, dijo el Caballo de Piel, porque el siempre era sincero. “Cuando tú eres de verdad, no te
Al último al último
importa ser lastimado”.
“¿Esto pasa de una sola vez, como ser herido?”, él preguntó, “¿o poco a poco?”
Había una vez un conejo de terciopelo, y en el principio él era realmente espléndido. Él era gordo y
“No pasa de una sola vez”, dijo el Caballo de Piel. “Tu empiezas. Toma mucho tiempo. Es porque no
apretujable, como un conejo debe ser, su piel era manchada café y blanca, él tenía bigotes reales de
pasa frecuentemente a la gente que se rompe fácilmente, o tiene bordes puntiagudos, o quienes
hilo, y sus orejas estaban delineadas con satín blanco. En la mañana de navidad cuando él estaba
tienen que mantenerse cuidadosos. Generalmente, con el tiempo tu eres de verdad, mucho de tu
situado apretado al tope de la media del Niño, con un ramito de acebo entre sus patas, el efecto era
cabello ha sido perdido y tus ojos se sueltan y tu llegas a perder tus uniones y estas muy andrajoso.
encantador.
Pero estas cosas no importan en absoluto, porque una vez que eres de verdad tu no puedes estar
Había otras cosas en la media, nueces y naranjas y un juguete de motor, y almendras de chocolate y
enojado, excepto la gente quien no entiende”.
un ratón con mecanismo de relojería, pero el conejo era por mucho el mejor de todos. Por al menos
“¿Supongo que eres real?” dijo el Conejo. Y entonces el deseó no haberlo dicho, porque el pensó
dos horas el Niño lo amaba y entonces Primos y Tíos llegaron a cenar, y había un gran crujir de
que el Caballo de Piel podria ser sensible. Pero el Caballo de Piel solo sonrió.
papel de seda y desenvoltura de paquetes y en el entusiasmo de mirar a todos los nuevos regalos, el
conejo aterciopelado fue olvidado.