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The Velveteen Rabbit

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The bestselling children's classic with millions sold around the world. This version, read by Xe Sands, will delight listeners of all ages with its story of wisdom and boundless love.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "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."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen 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 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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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 1, 1999
      Hague's warm paintings give a soft sheen to Williams's classic story. Ages 5-10.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This classic story of a stuffed rabbit whose love for his boy helps him become real is always warm and comforting. This version, read by Meryl Streep, is a gem! Streep's impeccable diction enunciates each word, yet her tone is gentle, her pace slow and relaxing, her reading sensitive and full of emotion--from the confusion of the rabbit at the snobbery of the other toys, to the anguish he feels when he meets the live rabbits, to the joy he feels when he realizes he's truly a "real rabbit." Add to this perfect reading George Winston's soft and lovely musical accompaniment and you have a treasure that will be loved and enjoyed over and over again, like the velveteen rabbit himself. W.L.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:820
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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